Celebrating Hospitality

 

Last weekend, we had the chance to welcome our first overnight guests here in the lake house. The day of their visit marked one month since our moving day, and we were so glad our weather this past Saturday was not the weather of our moving day. We woke up to snow! (That had not been in any forecast, so our part of the state was full of many surprised people!)

            Ryan and I had a goal of getting the house unpacked and assembled before entertaining our first guests, and for the most part, we did it. We have some random wall art that hasn’t found a permanent home yet, and we have much to sort through in the garage, but all the regular, everyday items have found a place to live, and the place feels like home.

            Our guests were my sister and brother-in-law. They did a quick trip to Indiana to see family and then hurried back home to their own responsibilities. We haven’t seen them since last August, so it was fun to get to see them in person!

            Lexi shared her room, which meant she had a slumber party in the living room while they were here. (If you’ve seen the Andy Griffith episode where Opie talks about getting to sleep on the ironing board between two chairs so a guest can have his bed, you’ll understand what we meant when we told Lexi she was going to have “Adventure sleeping.” And no, she did not sleep on an ironing board. I don’t even own an ironing board.)

            We loved welcoming Lori and Jeff into our home and showing them in person all the things they’ve seen in pictures and on Marco Polo for the last several months. It was fun to see them put the pieces together in their minds as they walked around and looked over the views.

            For dinner that night, Ryan grilled, and we sat around the table for what felt like hours, eating and telling all kinds of stories. Multiple times during that meal, my heart smiled with the joy of experiencing fellowship in our home. It’s never mattered which home we’ve lived in. Fellowship in the walls has always been a highlight. To experience it here for the first time was a blessing beyond words.

            After dinner, we moved to the living room. We turned up the fireplace, passed around the throw blankets, and settled in to talk some more and watch the end of a movie on TV.

            The next morning, we were able to take them to church with us and let them see where we worship. I loved it that they were able to hear our pastor preach and meet some of the friends who have become so dear to us in the last year.

            We came home and had chili together before they had to get on the road to travel back toward home. It was a quick visit, but it was a joy for us. This house is small and cozy – but it holds plenty of space for memory making! We are grateful for the chance to share it.