An Invitation to Create Rest in Your Family’s Life
By Brentlee Smith
Seasons come and seasons go, but if we run our lives at a pace that allows for no rest, we’ll never be able to run the full race we were called to. Our bodies weren’t designed to run at full speed every day, and I’ve learned the hard way more than once that slowing down and rest are necessary for me and my family. As a wife, mother, and homemaker I have a lot of control in setting the tone of our household. As someone who is naturally inclined to go fast it requires effort on my part to allow my family the time and space they need to slow down. I’d love to share a few ways I like to do this!
Rest Days
This is something I take seriously more than I ever have in my life. My husband works a crazy swing shift schedule, but I still can make sure that my three boys and I have a set rest day once a week. This normally falls on a Sunday, but depending on the week we can move it around…work hard six days and rest on one.
Clothesline
Five people accumulate a lot of laundry and I do at least two loads a day to keep up with it all without feeling overwhelmed. It can be so easy to throw clothes in the dryer and then promise myself I’ll fold them the following day. So, to combat that I try to hang out a few loads on the clothesline throughout the week. Not only do I love the smell of air-dried clothes, but there is a certain nostalgia that can be found in hanging up little pairs of overalls out to dry. It slows me down a bit but allows for some time to reflect and be grateful for the little people in my life that wear them.
Baking with Littles
I enjoy cooking most of our meals from scratch. It’s one of the ways I feel like I can holistically love my boys and create a special time around our table together each evening. One or two nights a week minimum I like to bake special treats with the boys’ help. Not only do they get the satisfaction of a delicious cookie, cake, or muffin to eat, but they also get the chance to learn skills that I hope they’ll be thankful for later.
Soft Lighting
When the sun starts to set, I don’t like to turn on our main lights in the house. Instead, I opt out for soft lighted lamps and candles to make the house feel a bit cozier and calm. That means we don’t turn on the tv around this time either, and it really helps everyone feel calmer before bedtime.
Living with the Seasons
I’m a firm believer in living with the seasons. Summer is full of outdoor activities, long nights of playing in the cool of the evening and living on fresh produce. Fall is my favorite time when we start to feel a bit of a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of summer. Fall baking picks up along with shorter evenings. Winter is just made for hearty meals, with the fireplace lit as we enjoy more time together in the darker evenings. When Springtime comes, we embrace the new season with big ideas of what the coming months will hold. Society seems to live one way all year round, but I really prefer the emphasis we’ve put on living with the seasons. With each new season comes with it anticipation for a change in the day to day living.
Rest days, hanging laundry on the line, baking with kiddos, lighting my favorite candle and changing our routine with the seasons are just a few of the ways I like to slow down in my everyday life, but feel free to grab a notebook and pen and brainstorm some of your own ways to implement a slow down that works for you and your family! It is easy to get caught up in the race that we live in today, but maybe some of the most profound work you do is creating the space and atmosphere to breathe and enjoy the time we have before it passes us by.
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