This morning I was searching through old diaries for information for another project I started today. (May do another post about that later :)) I found a journal entry that touched me again. I have shared about this at HEART and with lots of home schooling mums but thought I’d write about it again on my site.
Gezellig is a Dutch word with a beautiful meaning. I first encountered it in one of Corrie ten Boom’s books. She was asked to describe her family home. She thought for quite a while and then said, “There isn’t a word for it in English. The Dutch word is gezellig. It means cosy, homely, a place of warmth and togetherness; a sense of belonging.”
How beautiful! That is exactly what I want for our home. When we cuddle on the sofa and read a good book together and listen to the rain on the tin roof – gezellig.
When we sit around the wood stove and talk about the day – gezellig. When we watch a good movie together – gezellig.
When I sit around the table and help the children with their maths – gezellig.
When we sit in the evening and have a hot chocolate together and listen to Kate play the piano – gezellig. When we linger around the table after a good meal – gezellig.
When Samuel was first discovered to be dyslexic I had the supervision of a wonderful Christian friend who worked with Speld. I rang him one day to tell him what Sam had just said to me that morning – “Mummy, how is it that I can read so well when I’m cuddled up beside you on the sofa, but I find it really hard on my own.”
My friend gave a warm chuckle and said, “Gezellig.”
It was a wonderful moment for me. He had no idea that I had only recently discovered the word. Or that Sam had carved me a sign with Gezellig on it to hang in our kitchen.
So mums, don’t ever under-estimate the power of ‘gezellig’ – it makes our children know that they belong; that they have a safe place where they know that they are loved; and it can even help them with their reading!!