When I was growing up, our home was filled with people. My parents didn’t have much, but their door was always open and we often added just one more can of tomatoes to the soup or made a last minute batch of bread to stretch our meals to feed whoever was gathered around the table at dinner time.
It was never fancy, but no one ever seemed to mind. Simple food made with love and shared with friends sometimes beats all the fancy meals money could buy anyway. And I always knew that one day, I wanted my home to be a welcoming place, too.
But unlike my extroverted parents, being the perfect hostess doesn’t come easily for me. I fumble and struggle. For me, hospitality by the books is a daunting task. As a full-time mama, holding down a job at the same time, there are more to-dos than hours in the day.
Sometimes I have to remind myself that hospitality doesn’t have to be elaborate. I use to feel guilty for not being the kind of hostess my parents were. But I’m beginning to see that while God does call all of us to be hospitable, He doesn’t require us all to share our homes and hearts in exactly the same way.
Hospitality is being welcoming, and not too proud to open the door to friends and strangers God brings into our lives. It doesn’t have to be dust free bookshelves and restaurant quality food kind of hospitality. Sometimes I need to forget about the dust in the corners or the fact that I don’t have a couch and embrace the moment and the people that walk through my door.
And lately, I’ve been closing my eyes more and opening my door more, praying that love and warmth shines out to make up for the imperfections in our little home and in my skills as a hostess. Because if I wait for my house to be flawless and for a chance to make the perfect meal, no one will ever come.
Sometimes I just have to remind myself that hospitality is best served simply. Like a cup of tea, or a mug of hot cocoa and games on the floor in front of the fireplace. After all, it’s the love and the laughter that I most want my guests to remember when they think of our home.
So this fall, that’s what I’m doing. Filling mugs with hot drinks, popping corn and loving all who find their way into our little home.
I fell in love with this set of mugs from Hallmark’s set called “Home“. Home is the heart of our family, and we are down to earth, country bumpkin kind of folk more than fine dining people.
The handcrafted look of the stoneware is welcoming and homey- the exact things I hope my guests feel when they sit in my living room. The soothing neutral outside with vibrant pops of color inside were exactly what I was looking for when I wanted to buy some mugs so we could share hot drinks with friends. And the words on each mug speak to the kinds of things that I value in our daily life.
Gratitude, Togetherness, Home, Coziness, Happiness and Warmth.
I’ve already used my mugs to share hot tea with some of the people I love. It’s felt good.
May this be the fall of filling our home with happiness and friends, in our own unique style of hospitality.
Would you like to own one of the pieces from the Home collection?
I’m excited to be able to share a piece from this collection with one of you!
Please comment below with one of your favorite ways to incorporate simple hospitality in your lives.
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I love to incorporate hospitality by helping out others. Ways I do this is doing someone else’s dishes or paying for their coffee tab. :)
This looks like a nice collection! Thanks! I always try to provide a delicious home cooked meal. And another little trick – keep the bathroom well stocked with all the guests’ possible toiletry needs (esp. those that embarrass some like pads and tampons).
Lovely thoughts! The first step to hospitality is a warm welcoming smile when a person or many people arrive at the door. I bake almost everyday to keep baked items fresh and tasty for any visitors that may drop by. I always like to have guests leave with a little something to take home- a small bouqet of fresh flowers, just picked vegetables from the garden or a dozen cookies to take home. Hospitality begins in the heart and is expressed visibly
I like taking baked goods to people not feeling well.
Love this post. I’ve been trying to work on this myself. I’m trying to prep meal stuff ahead and freeze things so I’m less stressed and have less work when we have company. I look forward to when I feel less internal pressure to clean so much for company!
Loved this post! The older I get, the less I seem to worry about what others might think of our house/home and it’s current state (whatever that may be!). Dust shouldn’t stop us from inviting a friend in! :) I think simple things like offering a chair, something to drink, cookies or whatever you have on hand are the best ways to show hospitality.
This was such a beautiful post. What a great lesson. I’m learning this more as a mom now because we have one less job and income, one more person to feed, and a lot more mess! I have to remind myself that God is more interested in me opening a welcome heart and home than a perfect one. I think one of the simplest ways to show hospitality is to get someone a drink– esp a glass of ice water or a mug of something warm and cozy…
A drink of water in His name…