Everything is interesting in our house.

The trail that airplanes leave behind them in the sky.
Carseats.
Pretzels (a Philadelphian food group).
Coffee every morning (a Kelly Raudenbush food group).
Red and yellow Autumn leaves.
Lunches on the go.
Big yellow school buses.
The dishwasher.
Heat we can control.

Over the last couple years, I have spent a lot of time writing about things that are interesting to me about China as we have traveled back and forth, led teams of people there, and fallen in love with this far away place. But over the last two weeks, I have been consumed with all the things interesting right here around me as we watch our friends experience them for the first time.

Our guest room is no longer a guest room; it’s Helen’s room. She has a towel with her name on it hanging on the back of the door. Her books are on the nightstand. And, she’s posted the children’s library schedule on her wall. It’s no longer a sterile room that we quickly put together with second-hand finds; it’s full of color and personality and activity, especially since we haven’t been able to convince 3 year old Caleb to transition off her floor to the bottom bunk in Drew’s room.

Our friends and coworkers arrived from China nearly two weeks ago, needing a safe place to live as her belly grows for the second time. They weren’t safe where they were since they are from the most conservative province in China when it comes to second children. They may have been okay; but no one was willing to take that risk. Maybe safe isn’t good enough when we’re talking about life. We were excited to have them, but I confess we thought it might be challenging. But, so far, despite our one full bathroom and outdated kitchen, it’s been a blessing.

The piano I had to have that not a single person in our family plays has been filling our home with Chinese hymns. Our children have been running home from school to play with the little boy who has taken over all the toys they sort of forgot about over the years. I’ve had a friend beside me stirring dishes on the stove. And, we’ve been lingering at the dinner table longer in the evening as we continue conversation.

Evan voluntarily joined me for one of my many recent trips to the grocery store. He didn’t sigh or complain when I had to return to the back of the store because I forgot something. He stood in line with a smile and pushed the cart for the entire trip while I twitted about filling it. Caleb had come with us; that’s why. When we turned left onto our street and our house came into view, Caleb yelled loudly from his “special seat with buckles” in the back, “I see my home! There is my home!”

This is our home for now. Busy, noisy, crowded, and joyful, new, and safe with a whole lot of great smelling food and lots of “interesting.”