Tales from the Porch

My favorite part of our house very well might not be inside the house. It has a floor, it has a ceiling with a roof over it. It has a light. However, it's missing walls. My favorite part of our house just very well may be our front porch. Yesterday was the day I "opened" our front porch for the season. Opening our porch involves taking the tarp off the furniture, putting the glider and chairs where they belong, putting the little end tables out, putting the cushions on the glider and hanging up the wind chimes.

So, what could possibly make a front porch be my favorite part of my house? It's where I can bond with my family. There's no TV to distract attention. There's no computer to occupy your time. You sit and listen to the wind chimes, watch neighbors walk or ride bikes by, see traffic pass by (which doesn't usually involve many cars in our little neck of the woods) and chat with whoever you have the pleasure of sitting with. My husband and I spend a lot of time on our front porch together. We take pictures of things we see from the porch, we talk about things we'd like to plant in the garden, we talk about how our day was, what we'd like to do with the yard, and many other topics. Sometimes we just sit and watch the neighborhood activity. A young boy walks by on his way to the park, bouncing a basketball; a couple girls riding their bikes; young couples walking their dog; older couples walking hand-in-hand. It's a great place to be.

Then I think about how the importance of a front porch has changed. There once was a time when people almost expected to have a front porch. Neighbors would walk from one house to the next, sit on the porch with a glass of tea or lemonade (provided by the owner of the porch) and just visit. Porch to porch. Sipping tea. Connecting with neighbors. When we drive places, my husband notices barns and landscaping. I notice front porches. I comment about ones that are too small. If you can't fit three or more chairs on the porch, how much connecting can happen? I drool over large wrap-around porches. I see how other people set their porches up, how they have them decorated. I get ideas for what I can do with ours.

Author Philip Gulley talks about front porches in his fiction books. He talks about people connecting with their neighbors on front porches. Connecting is important. Loving your neighbors is important. Listening to what's important in the lives of your friends and loved ones is important. These things are so important that God created front porches. OK, I know that God didn't "create" front porches. But I like to think that his Upper Room was more like a front porch. A place for connection. A place for loving His followers. Who will you invite to your "front porch" this spring/summer? If you don't have a front porch, stick a couple chairs outside your front door. Sit and watch your neighborhood activity. I'll bet someone will stop by to chat. You won't regret it. Love. Connect. Chat. Visit. Listen.