“THAT’S ALL THEY WANT, SIMPLY YOU.”

We live in a little house in the city, with a tiny kitchen tucked away in the back of the house.

And for a gal who loves cooking, the truth is I don’t love our tiny kitchen and spend much of my time thinking about how I wish that little space was different, bigger, more open or about my dream kitchen, altogether.

But today, as my sweet boy pulled a chair into the kitchen, as he always does, to join me in cooking, it hit me that this is what I’ve been dreaming of all along—

a kitchen filled with the people I love, little hands helping to make food that nourishes our bodies, and connection and laughter that nourishes our souls.

Even if it’s tiny, even if it’s tucked away in the back of our house, even if it’s far from what my “dream kitchen” would be, this little space is bringing dreams to life.

The truth is our children are not thinking about their “dream home,” if they like the backsplash, or when it’s time to paint the walls.

They’re not worried about how messy or small the spaces may be, because they are simply living the dream each and every day they are doing life with you.

That’s all they want, simply you.

Let this be our invitation, to press into the beauty of the simple, small, messy spaces we get to call ours, to crave nourishment because these are the spaces that are bringing dreams to life.

And what a gift it is to call this little house in the city, with a tiny kitchen tucked away in the back of the house, ours.

xo, Claire Mariah