I've never been one to host big parties, and over the years my husband and I got away from having anyone over except for family. It's not anti-social. I love visiting other people's houses. Of course, you don't get invited very often when you don't return the invitation. The thing is I was ashamed of my housekeeping and cooking lack-of-skills. I figured I just didn't have the gift of hospitality.
Then I began this journey of purging and organizing my house. It's still cluttered but I'm not ashamed of it any more. I decided it was time to try inviting someone over. We picked a couple at church whom we have been wanting to get to know better. Relationships can only get so deep in a few hours on Sunday. Real friendships are built by more personal connections. So, we made the invite. We cleaned up some, but no were near the white glove test. My husband grilled burgers and I made simple side dishes. It wasn't fancy, but the conversation was great. I think we all enjoyed it so much more than we anticipated. Why did I wait so long?
This past weekend we had the youth group over for a planning meeting. We lunched on grilled cheese and chips. They laughed, wrestled, and had a great discussion about service project ideas. No one seemed to care about the dust on the shelves or the simple food. They just had fun bonding.
So, what I learned is you don't have to be perfect to enjoy opening your house to others. Keep it simple and enjoy. Who knew?
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