Creating sanctuary

The sacred work of homemaking

When I first started sharing time and space with my husband, Alex, one of my observations was of how intentionally he set the tone of whatever space we were in.

He didn’t do this through words, necessarily. It was more intuitive than that. He would walk into a room, get a feel for the space, and then begin making adjustments. Maybe he’d open a window and turn on a ceiling fan. Maybe he would dust off a surface or light a candle. Maybe he would rearrange some furniture to create a different flow. He has this ability to know what a space ought to feel like for people and he makes small adjustments to bring that vision to life.

It’s hospitality. It’s welcoming. It’s creating sanctuary.

Sanctuary is not a new topic on A More Beautiful Way. It’s a word I love, invoking images of safety, ritual, and connection with the Divine. It sparks thoughts of holiness and sacred intention. It draws out images of beauty and soul-filling art. I love the word sanctuary, as we often need places to rest, to reflect and to take refuge from the stressors and strains of the world.

As I invite us to explore what it means to create sanctuary, especially home as sanctuary,