The other day I had the pleasure of attending a ladies Bible study day hosted by my aunts and mom. It was wonderful, and I enjoyed seeing my parents sun porch filled with a wonderful group of people once again.
See, some years ago my parents built an addition on to their house. It was a wonderful addition - it meant my sister and I would get our own rooms, there would be a bedroom for the new baby that was on the way, and we'd have a sunporch to enjoy.
At the time I don't suppose I was really *that* excited about the sun porch - especially in comparison to my own room. It was just a large room with a lot of windows and a laminate floor. However, I quickly learned to appreciate the space.
In such a space, tables could be left set up all the time. Big ones that held lots of people. There was a pass through window to the kitchen so snacks could be replinished easily.
It was as if, as part of the house addition, my parents had intentionally built in hospitality. In fact, I'm certain that's exactly what they did.
And so, soon the game nights started. Dinner cast parties for our high school theatre groups began (complete with paparazzi, speeches, and a full meal - all on the sun porch). Teachers came over for brunch. The sun porch has held wedding showers, baby showers, and funeral dinners. It has witnessed wedding parties get prepped and ready to go out into the back yard to be married.
Many a baby has been soothed by watching out the windows as they were rocked to sleep. Through those windows, lots of momma's have watched lots of kids play around on the porch and back yard and even in the pool. Kids have often been entertained watching out those windows with binoculars to spot the blue heron fishing, the deer munching, or the rabbits hopping around.
It has provided a rain shelter when the Pig Roast campout was driven inside. It has helped the house hold over 100 people at a time. It's offered a quiet sanctuary for small groups, and a loud, boisterous good time for large groups.
It holds our family Christmas breakfast and larger family holiday get togethers. It's offered a place for a meal for brand new friends who were just passing through. It's provided a game night place for teenagers and college students even when my brother, sister, and I were not amongst the crowd. It's held women's Bible studies, ladies days, Valentines Day dinners, Halloween parties, Birthday parties, good times, and serious chats. It's even held work retreats and business dinners
Those tables could be rearranged - small groups, big long tables, buffet style tables, family style meals - and you can almost always count on a dessert table. They are decorated seasonally - even my 4 year old knows she can judge the closeness of a holiday by the sun porch decor. But they are always there - with plenty of chairs - and the reminder that a spill is no trouble because the table cloths will wash.
Oh, when my parents built the sun porch, I'm certain not everyone understood why they'd want a large open room for tables. But clearly they had a plan. A really intentional and awesome one.
They had a drive for hospitality.
Oh, they were hospitable before the sun porch. They had events, they'd hosted parties and showers and get togethers ... But with the addition of the sun porch they made the clearest of choices to make hospitality a way of life. To designate a way to make opening their home to others a consistent part of their world.
And me? Well, I get a front row seat to enjoy the benefits from. I see how people become bonded through their time visiting with one another. I see how they relax and enjoy because the space is just clearly meant for that. I've gotten to watch many family members enjoy each other's company and many new friends get to know one another. And always, my parents are there, somehow working behind the scenes and right in the middle of the joy, all at once. All because they decided to build hospitality right into their home through the addition of a sun porch.
What an example. What a blessing. What a sun porch.
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