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Hospitality
“There is also a fundamental principle regarding hospitality which we are all very apt to lose sight of: to contribute in some sort to the cheerfulness of our community is undoubtedly a duty, and a house closed against its neighbors is not the home of a good citizen. The truly hospitable door stands always on the latch, the spirit of the house is the generous intention to welcome with cordial readiness all those who find pleasure in lifting it.� From Home Thoughts, copyright 1901.
If you think we have been slow to post on the web site lately, you are correct. We are not, however without excuse. We have had company at our house for the last three weeks and have been quite preoccupied entertaining, cooking, and having just plain fun. The first of our visitors was the McDonald family from Houston with their nine children. We had a wonderful time while they were here, and I admit to being quite thrilled with the fingerprints on my front door. The Lord willing, it won’t be long before I have a steady stream of fingerprints in my house from my own grandchildren! With only one shower, the bathroom schedule was highly regulated, but we managed just fine. After they left, my mother visited us from Minnesota. We were thrilled to have her and Naomi celebrate their birthdays together, as they used to do when we lived in Minnesota. Naomi turned 23 and Grandma turned 81. What a blessing!
In the middle of Grandma’s visit, our niece Bethany and her three year old daughter, Shahiza, showed up from Hawaii. Talk about fun! We have sung lots of “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain� and “I’m a Little Teapot�,
have been reminded of the evening ritual of “bathtime�,
and have asked her to repeat certain stories over and over just to hear her voice. We went camping for a few days, and Shahiza roasted her first marshmallow and had her first s’more.
Then, to top it all off, we had a short visit from our niece Emily from Oklahoma. It has been two years since these cousins had seen each other, so it was a real treat.
Tomorrow Bethany and Shahiza leave and we will miss the excitement of company. I have been reading yet another old book, Home Thoughts (copyright 1901), and found this short excerpt from the chapter titled, Moral Responsibility of Entertaining. After emphasizing the importance of having all family members unselfishly share in the welcoming and caring of guests, the author states: “If [the children] gain the idea that it is a part of life’s pleasant duty to make their homes places of rest and good cheer, and that the dispensing of heartfelt and inspiring hospitality, which shall enlarge the world’s fountains of refreshment and pleasure, is an integral quality of the best family life, they will not readily lose sight of these fundamental principles in later years.�
Had any company lately?
Posted by lilypress at June 19, 2005 12:32 AM
