Home-Made Hospitality

April 4, 2012

Hospitality is a dying art. I am, by nature, not a hospitable person. Neither is my husband. We are very much ‘you mind your business, and we’ll mind ours’ kind of people. We are quiet, keep to ourselves people. Our children are not! This has made for some interesting moments when the children want to invite the entire neighborhood over to play.

I did not grow up this way. Our house had an open door policy. My mother used to say she never knew who would be sleeping on our couch in the morning. Of course she knew, but it was her way of telling people our door is always open. You would think I would have the same view toward hospitality but I don’t. I used to but somewhere along the way to being 40+ I lost it.

It has been a deficiency I have been trying to overcome since we are commanded to hospitality. So this week when new neighbors moved in right next door I suggested the children make them ‘Welcome to the neighborhood’ cards. This idea was met with shouts of joy and eager hearts. For the next 30 minutes my children drew pictures, wrote notes, cut and pasted. In the end we had three home-made greeting cards to share with our new neighbors.

We walked over introduced ourselves and handed them the cards. It was a small thing to do but it meant a lot to the kids and I hope was appreciated by our new neighbors.

I could have baked a pie or made them a meal but baby steps (you have to walk before you can run).

Since then we have been able to day good morning over the fence every day. Of course, I now get “Can we go see our new neighbors” everyday as well.

HOSPITAL'ITY, n. [L. hospitalitas.] The act or practice of receiving and entertaining strangers or guests without reward, or with kind and generous liberality.

 “Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” – 1 Peter 4:9