Don't know why, other than everyone knows the season is now officially fall, so it's time to be reserved and contemplative. I think I'll go slip on my cardigan, then top it with my tweed jacket with suede elbow patches, and then smoke my pipe as I sit in my rocking chair by a hearth full of glowing embers.
Which means I'll have to make a stop by Wal-Mart on the way home to get a cardigan, a tweed jacket, a pipe, a rocking chair, and a hearth.
AS FOR THE WEEKEND, the invasion looms. Sunday we're having all the elementary kids and their parents over for lunch and a devotional after church. Our house is a wreck right now. Toys, papers, socks, videos, yaks--all of it, everywhere. The intent had been to start cleaning at the first of the month, so we wouldn't have so much to do tonight and tomorrow.
Of course, Procrastination being what it is, it took Initiative and Good Intentions both out in the back yard and beat them with a tree limb until they cried and ran back and hid under the bed.
Obviously--that's not true.
There isn't a place to hide under the bed, because it's full of toys, papers, socks, videos, and yaks.
Anyway, I dislike people coming to the house, because, well, they don't belong there. GO AWAY, YOU PEOPLE, YOU!
Remember, you can't spell "hospitable" without "hostile."
True, it has to be rearranged a bit, but they're all in there. The letters, that is, not people. I know I should be more sociable, but I like having one place where I can do whatever I want without having to worry about shocking anyone. I mean, when we have people over, there's simply no good way to run around the house in my tighty-whiteys. That's very important to me, you know. That, and not feeling like I'm expected to wash the entire house with a toothbrush.
Oh, well.
SO, that's the plan for the weekend--get ready for company, have company, recover from having company. Blech.
I hope YOU, on the other hand, have a fun and happy weekend--come back Monday and we'll compare notes!
Posted by Terry Oglesby at September 22, 2006 03:33 PMRemember, you can't spell "hospitable" without "hostile."
I never thought of it that way--but it does seem to be hard for any of us sometimes to exercise the Biblical "gift" of hospitality. But (and this is coming from one who can be quite an introvert) I do think if we exercised that gift more often we would perhaps build bonds of fellowship within our churches that would help us to withstand the storms that can and do beset those churches. I hope you all do have a good lunch on Sunday--and I know you'll be a good host.
(Sorry about getting a bit serious. I guess I've seen too many church "situations" in the last few years.)
Posted by: Stan at September 22, 2006 05:04 PMHave fun cleaning and hosting the hordes. And remember, you are lucky. Since your family mostly lives nearby, they haven't decided to come stay with you every weekend for the last two months. This weekend, no one is coming. Instead my mom will be arriving on Monday for the week. Bah humbug.
Posted by: Jordana at September 22, 2006 05:43 PMWell, Stan--you ARE right. We're called to enjoy each other in fellowship, and it really is good to use that time to get to know each other. But being nice when I don't exactly feel like it is still something of a chore. Wouldn't be so bad if I didn't care what people would go off and say later: "Did you see those weeds?" "I KNOW!! and I know you saw that dust on the lamp. Simply AWFUL!!"
And Jordana, since you don't have anything to do, would you like to come down and get some nesting practice?
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at September 22, 2006 08:57 PMTerry,
You are of course right about that as well. I REALLY struggle with stuff like that--which by now is probably obvious! But I appreciate your graciousness and I really would think you come across just as gracious even at these church-related things when you may not feel that way.
Posted by: Stan at September 22, 2006 11:39 PMAfter some years of throwing parties and get-togethers of different kinds, I say, give the people who care about the dust on the lamp or the cobwebs in the corner something to talk about.
Posted by: Janis Gore at September 23, 2006 09:06 AM