Hospitality

Someone mentioned to me recently that I am good at hosting people in my home.

Which made me literally laugh out loud.

I absolutely love having friends and family to my home. I am a social person, and with young children, socializing is way more relaxing and fun in a home....especially my own home because I know there's nothing my kids can destroy and nothing that can hurt them.

Inviting friends into my home has been a journey for me. This is not a joke: as of my wedding day, I had never cooked a meal in my life. Ever. Well, that's not entirely true. Once I tried to cook for Brett, and it was literally so nasty that we could not eat it.

Part of enjoying the company of others is providing food, so this has been a huge area of growth for me.

Early in our marriage, I had a strong desire to have an inviting home, yet I did not know how. I bought several books on hospitality and read each of them a few times. I gleaned from the wisdom of others, from those who are naturally gifted at hospitality.

During my time in Kansas, God also surrounded me with friends who were so good at hosting social functions. Each time these sweet friends would invite me into their home, I would observe what they did well and imitate them. While I do believe we should all be our own person, there is great value in learning from the strengths of others.

February will mark our 7th anniversary, and in those years, I have developed my hospitality skills. I am definitely not the most gifted host you've ever met, but I have learned a thing or two along the way.

Thinking back through my journey (that I am still on), I have decided to write a series on hospitality. This will be aimed at those who desire to be hospitable but are clueless where to begin...or are new on the journey and need ideas. I also am on a limited budget, so nothing I present will break the bank.

I also think my posts will be aimed at the 35 and under crowd. Through my reading, I have observed that older women have different expectations of hosting. Maybe as I age, I will develop my skills even more. But for now, if you come to my house for a social function, table cloths and centerpieces are nowhere to be found. While I do find beauty in those, I don't find room in my budget (or in my house to store it all).

Now that I think about it, maybe centerpieces and table cloths aren't an age thing as much as a Southern thing. Either way, I am young and not from the south (because while I live in the southernmost part of the continental US, south Florida is anything but "southern").

Anyway, I am excited to think back to what the Lord has taught me along the way. I hope you can learn from my experiences. Some of you who read my blog, I learn from you, so I hope you continue to post on the same subject!

Here's to hospitality!! Cheers! (I will still continue to write family posts, as well)