Warming Things Up

Dark.

We've talked for a while now about how the back room is so dark. It didn't feel dark when I was a child, and even then it had barn boards on the wall. I love the barn boards and really didn't want to take them down. What was so different now from when I was a child? Was it that the trees outside had grown so much taller? Why, although it helped, did the light colored carpet not brighten things up?

On Sunday Rachel and I took our usual drive down back country roads to visit our brother Tim. The sky was overcast, the sun hidden behind a thick layer of cloud, and yet along the way brightly colored leaves lit up the scene. Carpets of gold covered front lawns, fiery torches of red and orange adorned the woods, and it seemed as though the sun was out when in fact it was not... And then I realized something. Perhaps there was a reason for our mother's love of orange and gold.

Dad picked dark colors; barn boards, wood tones, and brown paint. Mom warmed the rooms with colors of autumn. I had resisted "Mom's colors," picking neutral tones instead, while Hannah leaned toward blues and browns. We weren't creating a warm environment at all. My encounter with God's Autumn Paintbrush inspired me to experiment and so I went in search of something to test my theory.

 I bought some orange and yellow pillows at Walmart, and a big bouquet of fake, fall flowers at Hobby Lobby. Just those few items made the room smile. Tonight I perused the aisles at Home Goods and returned with a few more finds. I took the plain beige sheet off the futon and tossed a gold throw over the back. Then I hung a sunflower painting on the wall (It's still in its packaging.), and placed a bright yellow vase on the table. And of course, I turned on all the lights.

It feels like home again. I like it.
:0)