I think I put this book on hold from the library's recent acquisitions list because it deals with hospitality. When I stumbled upon Sue Donaldson's newsletters, book, and website, I felt a tug to embrace this call to hospitality. This is very perplexing as hospitality is not a spiritual gift I possess. Sheesh - even cooking for my family fills me with dread, let alone offering up fare for guests in my less-than-tidy home. But, I'm encountering nudge after nudge regarding friendship and hospitality. For example, my recent read, Mattering. How important it is to invest in others and let them know they matter! Who knows if my shabby hospitality might bless someone else in a way I cannot fathom. I'm still hesitant, but these essays nurtured that tug.
When I read one essay about a stain on a carpet, I immediately realized I had recently read this essay elsewhere. I looked up the author, Sarah Hauser, and discovered that she posts on the Rabbit Room substack. I'm guessing that is where I encountered her before. I also appreciated Ashlee Gadd's essay, "Good Mother's Bake from Scratch and Other Lies I've Believed." The essay, "When Friendships Change," by Sonya Spillman, spoke to deep needs within me. "We'll Be Your Family on Christmas Eve," by Melanie Dale, resonated with me because Sarah Mitchell's family took me in over the Christmas holiday when I could not afford to return from London to Chicago during my work-study period abroad. I would love to implement the lessons from this book. May I rely on God to somehow make it so, if not now (when facing grief, downsizing, and a move), then perhaps when we seek another home!
No comments:
Post a Comment