I love to be comfortable, and I want to live in a cozy home.

For a long time, I thought that was a negative character trait and a personality flaw. After all, don’t all those memes talk about “getting out of the comfort zone” to make a difference?

They do. But what I’m realizing is that all those memes have it wrong.

If 2020 taught me anything, it’s this: I need a cozy home. It should be a place of solace and peace, of comfort and well-being, of joy and love.

Stress is off the charts for most of us. We have anxiety about everything: politics, religion, parenting, education, COVID-19, climate change, natural disasters, foreign policy, war, work, money, and more.

Life is dang exhausting.

It’s hard—if not sometimes near impossible—to get away from all the stressors. And our physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health is bearing the brunt.

I seriously wonder what we’re headed for if we don’t work to mitigate the tension. How will we weather inevitable transitions if we don’t have a soft place to land when it all gets to be too much? In environments of “go, go, go,” we must find a place where we can stop.

Since we first began quarantining in the spring of 2020, I’ve been reconnecting to the goal of making my home more comfortable. I needed it to offer a place of rest for my weariness. I needed it to feel safe and cozy.

But my family needed that as well. We were all hungry for a cozy home with more beauty, more quiet, and more peace in our lives.

So, we have done and continue to make small changes to bring more comfy, cozy, and homey into our lives. Creating a comfortable space and a cozy home doesn’t have to be grand or expensive; in fact, I find it’s the opposite. Often, the grand gestures can feel overwhelming and too stimulating. The smaller things are soothing in their subtlety.

I hope you’ll be encouraged to try some of the things we’ll discuss here to get more comfy, cozy, and homey in your life. We’ll highlight practical ways for doing so, including:

  • Adding soft lighting to your home inside and outside
  • Creating ways to enjoy nature in your backyard
  • Finding relaxing hobbies that offer joy to others, too
  • Enjoying creature comforts, including the best blankets, sweaters, and socks
  • Extending love and hospitality to others

A Cozy Home Is My Light Offering

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to navigate the pain, disappointment, brokenness, and evil that seem to characterize our world. It weighs so heavily on my mind, body, and soul. Some days it feels positively suffocating.

During this year’s Easter service, my rector included this quote in his sermon at Good Shepherd Nashville:

“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.”

― Leonard Cohen

And so, the bells I am choosing to ring are kindness, love, acceptance, peace, and hospitality. I want to share that with all of you. Perhaps, together, we can all make our homes places of refuge and comfort.

Yes, they will be imperfect, but in their coziness and homey-ness, may light burst through their cracks.