My favorite room in my house is the family room.
Because that's where my fireplace is.
When I first moved in, I really wasn't sure that I would use it.
I was afraid of lighting it, unsure that I could keep it going, just overall not confident in my fire-making abilities.
Fast forward 3 years.
It took a few tries, some advice from my brothers and friends, and a bit of patience, but I feel like I've gotten the hang of it.
I light a fire in it every chance I can now.
Spring is a fickle season in the Midwest, and this year is no exception. A few weeks ago, we had a 70 degree day and everyone broke out the shorts and got outside to frolic in the sunshine and warmth.
And now the past two weeks we've had a stretch of colder weather again, mixed with a bit of snow and sleet.
As much as I want the warm weather to come, there's something about lighting a fire on a chilly, wet, dreary spring (winterish?) evening.
It's calming and powerful to watch the fire eat away at the wood, snuggled under a warm blanket with one of my favorite movies playing in the background.
I think about how much wood I've burned in this fireplace over the course of the last three years.
I think about how many nights I've sat in that room, decompressing from the stressors of life and staring into that fire.
And I think about how that fireplace has burned more than just wood.
Papers from my past, from the job I had for more than 20 years that I didn't need to hold onto, but couldn't just throw away. Memories of a lifetime of growth.
A letter I wrote to my mom as I worked through the process of forgiving and coming to terms with the fact that our relationship would never be what I needed. Words that needed to be written and then let go.
Flames that represent change and the closing of multiple chapters.
The wood I'm burning in it now came from the two dead ash trees that my brothers cut down for me nearly two years ago.
There's still enough left for several more years, even at the rate I'm burning it.
That wood will provide warmth and comfort and a place for me to reflect as I continue to navigate the remaining chapters of my life.
And this fireplace will continue to be one of my favorite parts of my home.
We all need a place that gives us comfort like that.
A place where we can go to decompress, relax, process and think.
A place where we can let the flames of change burn red, orange and gold as we grow.
Where's yours?
Visit my author page on Amazon
Or find my book at Barnes and Noble
And at our local Oconomowoc Bookstore - Books & Company
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