Saturday, November 19, 2011

An Invited Guest......

 Draped in an antique linen tablecloth, the circular kitchen table overlooks the kitchen garden.
The napkins with the monogrammed B are a new antique find!  I found eight perfect antique napkins for a bargin and had them mongrammed in an heirloom look! 
 My Grandmother loved pretty table linens, silver, and crystal.  So much of the entertaining that I do includes gifts that she gave to me a piece at a time.  She was a true collector!


In just a few days, families will start the journey home for the Thanksgiving Holiday!  I really did not give much thought in the past regarding the fact that Thanksgiving is truly an American holiday. Now though, because our youngest daughter lives in England with her husband, I am thinking about that a lot. I ask myself, do I miss her?  EVERYDAY!  However, on holidays when she is unable to be with us, then truly the missing becomes intense! Another daughter is coming home for Christmas and we will miss her too at Thanksgiving!  She lives in California!  I love everyone being together in their places at the table, but not everyone can always come.  Sometimes the distance is too great.  The times we are able to be together though make up for the times we are not together.  Memories are treasures in our hearts!

Who is invited to your table?  Is it just a select few or is your table open to others you might not know so well or perhaps you've been wanting to know better. You could consider making a special point of inviting them. A stranger could become a friend!  Once I was invited to a special dinner.  The elegant table setting was beautiful and tastefully designed so each guest could enjoy conversation and enjoy the evening.  I found my seat and stood at my place, waiting for others to join who were also sitting at my table.  Another guest approached the table and share with me that the tables were reserved and I needed to check which table I was assigned to then turned away.  I smiled and said, "I am at this table."  Uncomfortable, yes,  for a moment but it's fair to say I felt sort of sorry for that person, sorry that they had missed an opportunity to meet someone new.  A stranger perhaps.

Sometimes in our efforts to protect our territory, we could hurt others, even though the hurt is unintentional.  I hope we can remember how it feels to be INVITED, to be treasured as a guest, and then  to show that care and inclusion to our own guests and to our families. Our lives really are brief on this earth.  On Thanksgiving and during this beautiful season, I hope we can remember the meaning of the holiday~THANKS GIVING~ as it truly means giving, giving to others and giving thanks for our bounty of blessings and then sharing them with others along life's way!  Hopefully, this will bring you unexpected blessings in your home!  In the south of the US where I live we call this hospitality!

I hope you have a table topped with LOVE!
Happy Thanksgiving! 

"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels." Hebrews 13:2