According to Native American beliefs, women are the fire in the middle of the family. We are the ones that keep the home. We make it comforting and soft. Women have a special touch that makes the heart of the home and keeps those who belong happy and healthy.
Yes, there are exceptions to every rule. There are men who can do this, but not the vast majority, in my opinion. Also, there are women who can't do this well. But, I do agree, that for the most part, women are the fire in the middle of the family.
A house is four walls with some furniture, but each woman takes what she has and makes it as comfortable and comforting as she possibly can so that her loved ones have a retreat to return to when the day is done. I remember when my children were little I couldn't wait for them to return from school so I could see them in the environment I had prepared for them. I did what I could throughout the day to make their home a sanctuary for them so they would feel sheltered from whatever happened throughout their days.
The world is a rough place. It is important to have a place where you can forget the world- where the world is your immediate surroundings and those surroundings are the very things that bring you the most joy so that you can re-energize for the following days. If we didn't break away and return to that 'fire' we would lose stamina fast.
I find that if I go away on vacation for a long while (over a week, say) I begin to lose my bearings. My spirit knows when it's not around its fire. The longer we stay away from our fires, the more we lose ourselves. There is no place like home.
Enjoy being the fire in the middle of your family. They need you more than you know. Make that fire bright and shiny so those whom you love are rekindled and refreshed! You, too, benefit from your fire. Your benefit is two-fold. You get the joy of being the fire-keeper and giving to others through that and you benefit from the warmth of the fire. Enjoy your fire.
Take Good Care Today.
It's comforting for me to know that I can have some sort of control over my home environment. Like you said, we can make it into our own sanctuary and a safe place for our family.
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