There is this room in my house. A room that gives me nothing but grief; It is too big to be used as a bedroom or an office, it’s almost impossible to keep warm in the winter or cool in the summer, and even though it makes a great play room, the kids have so much space that they get everything out and can’t manage to clean it up again. I hate this room.
It overwhelms me and haunts me during the night. What should we do with it? We have tried the playroom thing, we have tried using it as a guest room, we have used it as a multimedia room (for the television and computers) and we have used it for storage. Again… I hate this room.
My mom calls it the bonus room. And that got me thinking. A bonus is usually something extra to look forward to. A bonus is never a bad thing; it is a blessing, a gift… and that is what this room should be to us. How many people out there are cramped and in need of space. And here we are confining ourselves to the main part of the house and not ever making use of this wonderful gift of extra space.
The bonus room; It’s amazing how a simple word can change your outlook on things if you only let it. And let it I will. This room will be on my list of project for this summer with the goal being to turn it into a real bonus room. A space filled with things to look forward to. Maybe we’ll put a TV back in there with the big couches from Grandma Jean, and a book shelve with a frumpy old chair to sit in and read. Maybe we can make a game table for the kids with dominoes and cards and puzzles. Maybe I can have my sewing stuff in there, and Eric can have the computer too. And who knows, maybe it will become an incentive – somewhere we can go when all the chores are done, where we can relax and spend some time doing the little extra things that we love and look forward to.
Thanks Mom, for the inspiration and for the solution to the room that has plagued me for so long. Who would have thought that a simple word would change my entire outlook.
Amen sister, it's a great room and I'm so glad you see it that way now! Let us know if we can come over and help you turn the burden room into the blessing room! Love you so much!
ReplyDeleteMaking it a multi use room is a good idea. That way each family member can do something different but you are all still in the same room.
ReplyDeleteLooking back... It's been a few months since I wrote this and time has taken it's toll - a new baby, an unexpected surgery and a less than graceful recovery from both... and we are still working on this room, but God has blessed me with it. After my surgery I wasn't able to lay in my bed and we moved the whole family into the bonus room for a month! We watched movies, ate meals, slept and learned all in this one despised room. And now, even though it is unfinished, it is often the first place I head when we get home. I enjoy this bonus... this gift of a little bit of extra space.
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