Melissa Michaels - Dwelling: Simple Ways to Nourish Your Home, Body, and Soul

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE , OREGON

contents

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Nicole Dougherty

Cover photos Essem Creatives / Creative Market; vodoleyka, Beautiful_textures / Getty Images

Hand-lettering by Leah Beachy

Published in association with William K. Jensen Literary Agency, 119 Bampton Court, Eugene, Oregon 97404.

Dwelling

Copyright 2019 by Melissa Michaels

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97408

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-6319-0 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-7369-6320-6 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Michaels, Melissa, author.

Title: Dwelling / Melissa Michaels.

Description: Eugene : Harvest House Publishers, 2018.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018049636 (print) | LCCN 2018052907 (ebook) | ISBN 9780736963206 (ebook) | ISBN 9780736963190 (hardcover)

Subjects: LCSH: HomeReligious aspects. | DwellingsReligious aspects. | Self-care, Health. | Simplicity.

Classification: LCC BL588 (ebook) | LCC BL588 .M53 2018 (print) | DDC 646.7dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018049636

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Invitation: An action that causes or encourages something to happen.

Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold; happiness dwells in the soul.

DEMOCRITUS

W elcome, friend.

Im so happy youre here! If we dont know each other yet, I hope well become like long-lost friends as we explore the simple choices and changes we can all make to create a healthy, happy life. As an author for the past 12 years, Ive written more than a half-dozen books and thousands of blog posts and articles about the home. Ive offered countless tips and strategies for creating a home to love. Im passionate about this because so much of life happens at home!

My philosophy has always been that our dwellingsboth our home and bodyare intricately connected. Each has the potential to inspire the other to be its very best. Our dwellings will impact our overall wellness and sense of well-being, each like a vessel that can be filled or depleted by our daily choices and habits. The relationship between how we feel, the way we live, and the home we live in is as inspiring as it is important.

The beauty is in the simplicity. We can choose to become more mindful of our daily habitshow we relax and rejuvenate, how we sleep, what we eat, and how well we protect and nourish our home, body, mind, and soul.

You and I will walk this journey together. Well explore how we can intentionally take simple measures to do immeasurable good for ourselves, our homes, and others. This is our one precious life. Lets live it with care.

FEEL WELL WHERE YOU DWELL

A home is an intimate space where we can create a sense of worth, security, and belonging. It should be the place where we go to feel our best, a haven to recharge and rejuvenate. The commitment to reclaim and refine this sacred space and to protect what we hold dear invites us to make choices that change us, better us, and help us make a positive impact on the world around us. Unlike the well-known slogan for Vegas, what happens in our home doesnt stay in our home. The habits and values and forms of beauty we cultivate at home shape our interactions and influence outside the home. And that door opens both ways. What we choose to bring into our homefrom food and products to attitudes and designinfluences our sanctuary.

If we learn to pay attention to even the smallest details of how we live, well discover endless opportunities to better nourish ourselves and the people we love, and well be inspired to go into the world to do what we are called to do.

From the moment we wake up until our head hits the pillow at night, we make decisions that can also change how we feel. All aspects of our health are affected, so its important to become intentional about the spaces we create and the habits we practice. What does that look like? With simple ideas and encouragements, well turn intentions into actions. I promise that making the effort to design a whole and healthy life is worth it.

You know those little things that might frustrate you in the course of a day, but you rarely take the time to deal with them? Maybe its the squeaky bathroom door that irritates you because it invariably wakes up the baby from his slumber, or that overstuffed kitchen drawer you have to wrestle to open every day thanks to the bulky cheese grater thats always been there. Isnt this the story of our life sometimes? We keep doing the thing that causes us stress or makes us not feel our best because its what weve always done?

Sometimes we become so stuck in how things have always been that we forget each day is the gift of a new beginning. The journey to dwell well will reveal gifts of new possibilities. Obviously, removing a cheese grater from a drawer will not fix every challenge we face, but we can still benefit from simple changes in many ways. Daily decisions will add up to the whole of our well-being. So many opportunities to improve and transform the holistic experience of our life are within our grasp. To fuel our pursuit, here are just a few of the healthy steps we can accomplish before we turn the last page:

We can learn to better care for our home environment, so it nurtures us.

We can make decisions at home that simplify our lives.

We can create more peace in our days and in our dwellings.