Hello world!

I am so glad you’ve stopped by. My name is Danielle and you have stumbled upon my blog, Welcome Company. This blog is a new adventure for me and has been a long time in the making. My hope is for you to join me on the journey ahead and that in our time together I can offer you encouragement, inspiration, a laugh or two (probably because of something one of my kids says or does) and share with you some of what I have learned over the years about creating and keeping good company.

Good company is all about connection. God has created us for community and has gifted us in unique ways to reach out to each other.  Being in the company of others has always been one of my greatest joys. I am a happy girl when I have a houseful of people to feed and fellowship with. But spending time one-one-one with my husband, one of my three kids or a good friend is just as wonderful and time I cherish.

Good company is about being open and welcoming and using your gifts to create warmth in your little corner of the world. For me, that notion takes on many forms. A peaceful and comfortable home that is a place where friends are like family and all who enter are encouraged to sink into a soft chair, put their feet up and exhale the world. A delicious meal cooked for someone because you care for them and want them to be happy (and well fed). A well planned party that makes the guest of honor feel like a million bucks! Gathering with other women to study God’s word and encourage and uplift one another. It is about welcoming a broken and hurting child into your home and making them family  – as God has done for us all. I am so thankful for the heart of hospitality He has given me and for the unique ways He has called me to use it; because it has been through reaching out (often beyond my natural comfort zone) and connecting with others that I have been most deeply and richly blessed.

I have learned and experienced so much in my 40something years (actually 43 – I’m not funny about age, life just gets better and better) and I am eager to share. This blog represents the opening of the next chapter in my life and I welcome it with open arms. That being said, I am still working on all of the technical aspects of starting a blog and it will take me some time to add and fine tune things – sadly, the laundry, dishes and dinner do not do themselves just so that I can be on my laptop. Please be patient with me and gracious as I am feeling desperately in need of an editor. Remember, I have been in the constant company of three small children for the last several years with Facebook posts and text messages being my most common form of written communication. My “language arts” are not what they used to be. Good thing I have given up trying to be perfect and am now just in pursuit of joy and purpose. Hmmmmm, that sounds like another blog post waiting to get out. Please come back to visit soon because you are Welcome Company!