Love is already at work in our homes. It shows up in packed lunches, rides to practice, a favorite dish made for a birthday, and the countless small things that keep a family running.
Family life is full, with many good things asking for our attention at once. Within that fullness, there is opportunity for another intentional gift: the simple experience of being noticed.
Home should be the place where that gift is given most freely. How beautiful it is that home can always be the one place where a person is looked at, thought about, and cared for simply for being there. Writer Dia Boyle, in The Thoughtful Home, describes it as being cared for “just because you’re here.” Nothing has to be earned or performed.
You can’t buy anything to make a home feel this way. It doesn’t depend on a fancy home, matching furniture, extra toys, or other material things.
Time, along with the attention that comes with it, creates the gift of feeling seen. Setting aside time for loved ones, with small gestures of attention, can have a big impact. A few minutes of one-on-one time with a child, an intentional ear offered to a spouse after a workday or a long day at home, or an evening when the whole family enjoys something together can make all the difference.
Attention, an expression of love, is something worth fostering and protecting. A household might choose a basket by the door where phones rest during shared time, whether that is mealtimes, a car ride, or game night. Without a screen to turn to, conversation tends to fill the space, and children are quick to notice that they have our full attention.
Many families already have favorite ways of coming together. A Sunday set apart from the usual busyness, an evening walk, a board game, or a family movie that everyone takes turns choosing can become the kind of rhythm that builds memories for a lifetime.
Intimacy with the others in our home is a pathway to deeper closeness, and an impactful way of decreasing anxiety in our lives and in the lives of those we love. When family members know they will be noticed, welcomed, and thought about, home becomes a place where each person can flourish.
Time is the gift that makes it possible.
Meal Prep That Makes Room for Joy
Preparing ahead is one of the kindest things a household can do for itself, because it gives time back for the people at the table. Here are a few ideas a household might enjoy trying:
A posted plan. A small chalkboard menu in the kitchen can answer the daily question before it is asked. Inviting family members to choose meals for the monthly or weekly menu brings everyone into the planning.
Stretching good ingredients. Planning ahead allows one meal to become the ingredients for future meals. A turkey dinner can be reimagined as soup, turkey pot pie, turkey chili, pull-apart turkey sliders, or harvest bowls on other nights.
A scrap bag. Carrot ends, onion skins, and celery tops can collect in a freezer bag and go straight into the next pot of broth.
One-pot meals. Stews and soups save time and clean-up, and they suit households with varied appetites.
A welcoming home. A pot of water simmering with fruit that is past its prime, or with onions and warm spices, can fill the house with an inviting scent before anyone sits down.
Looking for a cozy fall side dish? Or is your household a little sniffly this time of year? On its own, pastina in warm broth is not a full meal, but it is an excellent supplement for a sick day, when something warm and gentle is just what we need.
On a cool fall evening, it also makes a lovely side dish alongside a seared pork chop or baked salmon and a crisp green salad or roasted vegetables.
Italian Pastina
Ingredients
3 cups bone broth (or chicken broth)
1/2 cup pastina (star pasta)
Salt, to taste
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 egg (optional)
A little chopped fresh parsley
Freshly cracked black pepper and/or grated Parmesan, for topping
Optional additions: Chopped or blended vegetables, or a bit of leftover chicken. The soup is just as lovely kept simple for those under-the-weather days when we just need something warm in our bellies.
Note: A bone broth can be made by hand with leftover bones, simmered in water for 6 to 8 hours. It contains wonderful nutrients!
Directions
Bring the broth to a simmer on the stove. Add the salt and garlic.
Stir in the star pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. If you are adding vegetables or chicken, add them now so they warm through. The pasta will continue to soften a little in the hot broth, so al dente is the right place to stop.
While the pasta cooks, crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk it with a fork until smooth.
Once the pasta is al dente, turn the heat down to low so the broth is hot but no longer bubbling.
Stir the soup in a slow, steady circle and pour the whisked egg in a thin stream. The egg will cook into soft ribbons within a minute.
For an extra silky result, ladle a spoonful of hot broth into the whisked egg first, stir well, then pour the mixture back into the pot. This gently warms the egg and helps keep it from scrambling.
Stir in the parsley.
Ladle into bowls and top with a few grinds of black pepper, a sprinkle of Parmesan, or both. Serve warm.
