“Your martini is ready”, Ted said with a big smile shining happiness and joy onto me, warming my spirit as I eagerly entered into their home full of love, laughter and incredible food after a long, hard day’s work. Ted, with his quick wit, followed with a, “What took you so long?” amidst warm hugs and kisses to welcome me into their cozy home. This cheerful greeting is standard from my dear friends, Ted and Judy, who are full of excitement every time they see me. In fact, every one of my close friends (I am blessed with quite a few amazing people in my life) exhibit this virtue of hospitality. Who doesn’t want or need that kind of hospitality at least once a week? How many of us not only receive but give this quality of life frequently? Do we even truly know what hospitality is in this day and time? Or how vital it is for a healthy and happy lifestyle?
It is so important to our daily living that even the Christian Bible narrates a variety of stories emphatically attempting to describe the soulful need of a hospitable nature in each of us and its corresponding act of hospitality in one’s words, behavior and home. This continuous tale of hospitality winds its way throughout both the Old and New Testaments beginning with the story of Abraham and his nephew Lot in the book of Genesis and their striking differences in receiving the angelic messengers of their Jewish God, Adonai. Abraham ran to warmly greet the strangers, seeing them walking in the far-off distance and welcoming them into his home, insisting that they stay and dine on the finest of foods. In stark contrast, Lot did not even rise to greet them when the messengers arrived, standing at his feet. He begrudgingly invited them into his home and gave them food to eat only for sustenance out of customary courtesy. And these men came to save the lives of himself and his family.
Based on this story of Abraham and Lot, hospitality is not just a simple function; it is elevated to a virtue. And hospitality is not only reserved for a home, it is a love language. I can walk into any of the homes of my close friends and truly feel “at home”, eating, drinking, sleeping and resting as if it was my own home. The ultimate state of comfort and security. I not only feel this way with them in their home, I feel this sense of closeness anytime and anywhere we are together. Even with a simple phone call or text, I feel a warm hug through their tone and words, appreciating and loving my presence in their life. It makes me feel alive and well, no matter what happened before that moment in time. It feeds my soul to brave one more day of uncertainty within the wiles of our daily surroundings.
I remember one night, it was 11:00. I was so tired from a very long day with much of it on the road. I pulled into my drive so happy to be home and the impending collapse of my weary bones onto my soft, inviting bed. I reached to gather my keys and alas, there were none. My spare keys also not in their normal place, I hung my head and immediately knew who to call. “Are you ok” were the breathless, concerned questioning words on the other end of the line. “Yes, but I am locked out of my house”, was my soft, tired reply. Without hesitation, she said, “I will be waiting for you,” and “See you soon” in a soothing, lilting voice so needed at this late hour. At midnight, as I wearily climbed the wooden stairs onto a large porch, the tall, elegant door of the stately 19th-century home swung open with a grand air of expectation, ushering me into its warm depths. I wearily smiled as I walked into the warmth of a generous hug and a beautiful, wispy smile. My bed awaited, soft and cozy, with comfy pajamas, a pair of her own, waiting for me to don and drift into a restful slumber. No matter where I was, as long as we were together, I knew and felt “at home”.
So, how does one show appreciation to generous gifts of hospitality? Gratitude. Hospitality in its virtuous state cannot exist without gratitude. Embrace both fiercely and expectantly with abandon. Don’t be afraid, be vulnerable, give and receive hospitality generously and with a grateful heart to truly experience what life has to ultimately offer you.
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