Home...at Night

I know this confession makes me sound so old but I like to be at home before it gets dark. Not to say that I'm never out past dark, but I do prefer to be home by dusk, settling in for the evening. Just the phrase "settling in for the evening" is comforting to me.

If by some chance I am out at night, driving home on lonely country roads, my eyes are drawn to the houses with their lights on and blinds open. I love to get that quick glimpse of the family's life, the blue glow of the television, the fleeting glance of a family sitting at the dining room table eating dinner and sharing their day.

A few weeks ago, we took a long day trip and didn't get home until well after dark. We traveled on back roads where the houses were few and far between. At one point, I saw a small house with the kitchen light on, an older lady standing at the window probably washing the dishes from that night's dinner. And, I envied her for being home, for being settled already.

My favorite times are on weekend evenings when my family is in the backyard on our patio grilling and preparing dinner, sweaty children wild and screaming, my husband and I listening to the radio and remembering when. I walk inside to gather the food and refill drinks and notice the open blinds in my dining room. I walk over to close them and, as I'm looking out of the window and see cars passing by, I smile because I am happy...I am home, settled in for the evening. And, there is no place on Earth that I would rather be.