Heart of the Home

I don’t know about your house, but in mine the kitchen is the most used, but also versatile space. Any given moment, the kitchen serves as the dining room, the family room, romper room, homework station, home office, and even counseling office. Maybe for that reason it has been referred to as the heart of a home.

In my youth, the kitchen was the meeting place for the Rea family. It is where we ate breakfast in the morning, did homework afterschool and ate dinner each night with the family. I spent many hours washing the dinner dishes while talking with my mother or sister about the day, life, or whatever. The kitchen was also the room where we spent hours on end cooking for holidays, or creating jams and jellies from our fruit trees or baking cookies for Christmas.

My folks had a strict rule that food did not get eaten outside the kitchen. Of course, this rule did not apply if we were barbequing and eating outside. And, I conveniently ignored this rule when I won the Girl Scout Cookie Sales Championship which resulted in 100’s (maybe 1000’s) of boxes of Girl Scout cookies in the downstairs' freezer. I’m not sure if it was the depleting cookie stock or the fact that I put on 10+ pounds in two weeks, but my mom eventually caught on and banned Girl Scout Cookie sneaking and eating anywhere.

I wouldn’t change the kitchen from being the home’s heart either. What other room in your home can one communicate around the kitchen table, give sage advice at the bar, make memories around the oven and also eat and drink? The chaos that was my mom’s kitchen from my youth is now my kitchen as adult. It is the heart of my home.

Everything that forms in the kitchen is rooted in love. That includes the relationships and the products. I think it is why I bake. In fact, I would say baking is one of “my things”. I find joy in it. I find joy in sharing what I have created with others. Where else can you have stress management, make memories, show appreciation, role model love, honor your mother, share tradition and end up with a great homemade [fill in the blank]?

I recognize that baking isn’t for everyone, but everyone has something they do to show love. I leave you with the hope that you will share what you love with others. It could be sewing or fly fishing or technology or working in the community. The sharing of one’s authentic self, not only allows you to connect with others on a truly personal basis, but also encourages others to do the same. In essence, it enables us all to be a fully operating, walking kitchen. And, you know what they say about kitchens—they are the heart of every home.

Must stop typing and start baking.

Happy Holidays all,

~Stacy