Hospitality

David and Laura came for dinner tonight! For those of you not up to date on my family members, that's my brother and his fiance. To Isaac and me, this is big stuff because despite the fact they only live in the Med Center, we don't see them but a few times a month. Ridiculous, I know. So, I tried to bribe them to visit with a promise of dinner, and they took the bait. Yay! I cooked an old enchilada recipe of Mom's, and we sat around and talked for 2 hours. What a treat! It's exciting watching them talk about wedding plans and prepare for their future.

I don't know if David and I were typical siblings growing up or not. If 'typical' can be described has a "love-hate relationship, with only rare moments of pure agreement on any given topic", then we were pretty typical. Many conversations in our household when David and I were in elementary school went something like this:

Me: "Mom, I never asked for a brother! Why did you give me one?"

David: "Well, I never asked for a sister!"

Me: "I was born first, so your opinion doesn't matter!"

David: "I didn't ask for you to be born first!"

Me: "You don't make sense!"

Mom: "Gene, you had siblings. When do they stop fighting?"

Dad: "Oh, around age 25."

We managed to get it under wraps before age 25, thank goodness! Now we know how to be friends and just talk. He's never said, but I hope David is now glad he has a sister. I sure am glad to have a brother.

I digress. Hospitality. I love it! I crave it! Ok, most of the time I crave it. Some days I'm too tired, but I plan around those days. To me, there is such joy in the simple act of preparing a meal and sharing it with others. Perhaps I enjoy this act so much because I'm blessed with the finances to buy enough groceries to make a large enough meal for more than Isaac and me. We all know I like getting to sit, listen, and talk with others. My Nanny's passion for cooking has thankfully been passed down to me, and while I normally cook nothing that comes close to being elegant or fancy, the task of preparing the food agrees with me. Sometimes what I cook turns out less than par, so it's certainly not pride that drives me to want to feed others. I think part of the fun comes from having my own kitchen and my own home in which I can invite others for the evening. And, maybe it's just me, but it seems people open up more about themselves as they talk while eating. I love hearing the stories people will tell when they are comfortable, or giving them a safe environment to share their hearts. I love getting to then pray for them, whether then and there or later in my own time with the Lord. Regardless, hospitality is a blessing I'm thoroughly enjoying, and I praise God for each opportunity He grants for people to walk in our door (or for me to take food to others...that's fun too!).

Many of you have been asking for some recipes from Monday's meal listing. I'll get to them, I promise. For now, I need to go plead with my Daddy God for wisdom. I have a new student who is so angry at the world that he's just quit on himself. I can't imagine being 12 years old and so mad at everyone. He did have to be removed from my room today, but not because I wanted him to go. He simply wasn't allowing me to teach the rest of the students, and that's not fair to them. Tomorrow is a fresh start, as is every day, so we will all try again. In the mean time, God is already leading the way with this child: for those that have known me for years and years, it's no secret I have the hottest, quickest temper out there. Despite every defense the kiddos threw at me, today, the firecracker did not explode. Amen!