Our Direction. Our Heart. Our Home.
You will see many roses and trailing ivies here.
This is a picture of serenity to me
– peace-filled, quiet, and comforting.
Home.
The weathered railing that will always surround The Cottage and The Porch
is there because after all the weathering of life, it still holds.
That is part of what I hope you will find here.
Kindness, gentleness, welcoming all, Love
– these are values that should never change.
They should always be heard, seen, and felt here.
A Little About What You Will Find Here
You may wonder what kind of conversations or writings belong here.
The answer is simple: anything, everything and nothing.
Good moments and bad times.
Memories, dreams, hopes, fears and worries, laughter, tears, ordinary days, extraordinary moments
– sometimes deep thoughts, sometimes absolute nonsense.
There will be few if any political discussions.
There is enough friction and division in the world already.
The Cottage and The Porch are meant to be places where we can set some of that down for a while.
If You Are Hurting . . .
If you are hurting, you are welcome here without clichés or platitudes.
There will be hugs ((( 💕 ))), listening, caring, and yes – laughter.
Sometimes we need someone to fix something or help us find our way through.
Sometimes we simply need someone to sit beside us while it hurts.
Both are welcome here.
Faith Has a Place Here, Too.
There are many Bible verses that are foundation stones in my life
– and from time to time, I will share one or three.
The one that you will see mentioned over and over is Psalm 56:3.
I will write about the “Why” later 😊
The House Rules
The same heart lives here and on The Porch.
The Cottage and the Facebook group, The Porch, share the same house rules.
The Cottage website is not currently a place for ongoing conversation between visitors
– though that may change someday.
For now, these guidelines simply tell you what kind of place I am building.
If conversation grows here in the future, these rules will come with it.
Be Kind. Be Respectful.
We can disagree.
We can have different opinions, beliefs, experiences, and perspectives.
We do not have to agree to be kind.
Personal attacks, insults, name-calling, bullying, belittling, or deliberately hurtful comments are not acceptable.
This is a place for conversation—not combat.
Debate is fine.
Attacking people is not.
If a conversation stops being a conversation and becomes an argument, I may step in.
NO preaching at people.
Faith, doubt, questions, and personal beliefs are welcome.
Telling someone what they should believe,
how they should grieve,
or what God must be doing in their life is not.
NO unsolicited advice.
Sometimes people need advice.
Sometimes they simply need to be heard.
Read the room.
If someone says, “I don't need advice; I just need to talk,” respect that.
The Cottage is NOT a dating site.
Friendships are welcome.
Conversation is welcome.
Flirting, romantic solicitation, matchmaking, “fishing,”
or using someone's loneliness as an opportunity to pursue them is not.
Respect personal boundaries.
Do not send another member a private message
unless they have invited you to do so.
If someone tells you to stop contacting them, STOP.
NO spam, scams, or self-promotion.
The Cottage is not a place to sell products,
recruit members, promote businesses,
collect money, solicit donations,
or repeatedly promote outside groups/pages without Momma’s approval.
Protect one another's privacy.
What someone shares here may be personal.
Do not copy, screenshot, share, or repost
another member's words, photos, or stories
outside The Cottage or The Porch without their permission.
The exception is when sharing is necessary to report a concern to Momma,
or when required for someone’s safety or by law.
NO harassment or hateful content.
Threats, sexual harassment,
discrimination, hateful comments,
intimidation, or targeted harassment will not be tolerated.
Momma (Margaret) gets the final word. 😉
On The Porch, Moderators may remove posts or comments,
restrict participation,
or remove members when necessary
to protect the purpose and atmosphere of The Cottage.
I will try to handle problems privately first whenever possible.
But repeated or serious violations may result in immediate removal.
And yes . . . Momma gets the final word, 😊
