In 2015, a magazine was coming to our house for an eight page spread.

EIGHT PAGES!

But they needed one more thing: they needed pictures of the inside of my cabinets.

And then they canceled.

I still don’t know why.

But I do know it hurt just as much.

I was still teaching and as I checked my email, thank goodness I didn’t have a class at the moment, I ran next door to one of my very dearest friends and confessed, they changed their minds.

Then, I went to the office and told them I didn’t need the two days off the following week, they had canceled.

Up until this point, I hadn’t told anyone — mainly because I couldn’t but for this reason, too…what if they backed out?

And then they did.

And to be honest it took me a while to process.

But the reminders kept coming that it wasn’t the magazine coming that would force me to open the door.

It was the friends that wanted to hang out.

The players that would show up for breakfast.

The high school girls that would stay the weekend.

They didn’t care if my pillows were fluffed (in fact, I have noticed the less pillows mean the more people sit down).

They only care if my heart was open to them.

And as I have watched Jen for years, I have known she wouldn’t care about a magazine coming.

In her book, Just Open the Door, she does JUST that.

She opens the door for us to recognize our love for others.

Our love for our home.

Our love for Our Father.

Because as I wrote in my last post, that is our home. Heaven is where we came from and to which we will return.

I dreamed of this house.

But I didn’t dream of getting dressed up every time we invited people over.

Just Wednesday, we all looked a hot mess as we grilled hot dogs and ate s’mores on (gasp!) NOT CUTE disposable plates…all of us in exercise clothes with box Mac-n-cheese.

So Thursday, I did that again — pulled out the Tupperware container of Mac-n-cheese and opened the doors. My very best friend brought pizza over and we had grocery store ice cream.

So there may have been too many Tupperware containers in my cabinets when the magazine asked.

But I know last Wednesday night when we went for a golf cart ride and I pointed out a house I liked, my two year old adamantly said, “I love OUR home.”

And I couldn’t agree more.

Friends, this book will reinforce the idea you have in your heart…just open the door, because your home is worth loving, too.

But your neighbors don’t care if you love the way your home is decorated.

They care if you love them.

And showing them you love them is as simple as that.

Just do it.

Just Open the Door.

You can buy it here.

 

And you will be so glad you did.

 

Amber