The Apostolate of Hospitatlity

I believe our family is called to an apostolate to hospitality.  I don't know if that is a valid apostolate within the church, but it runs deep in the veins of all of us (okay, well at least most of us, some are gracious enough to hang on for the ride!).  It runs so deep that, in a recent conversation about what my children think is important to look for in a place to live, the top ranking spot went to "A yard big enough to have parties in".  I think that says it all.

This past weekend we put some major time into our apostolate.  On Friday we spent the day hauling tree debris from our friends' yard.  They got hit by the storm we had last week and 5 of their HUGE oak trees fell down.  The only thing that was hit was one of their cars.  The house, the pool, the barns, the garden, the wind tower - not a problem.  The yard, on the other hand, looked like a disaster zone.  Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures, but Ms 18 yo had her camera and we got a few shots of the group.

My lumberjack husband.  They were having a great time with those chainsaws!

This was an amazing way to spend the 4th.  The interior joy that we all felt at being able to pitch in and do something for someone was amazing.  I was blown away by the amount of hard work that all of my children did.  It was hard and sweaty, but we made some great progress.  Unfortunately, there is still a lot to be done.

On Saturday we had the great fortune to visit friends we haven't seen in too long of a time.  They had recently moved to a new house, which they share with their maternal parents.  I was anxious to see them and their new living arrangements.   We had a great time with all of them, ate some great food and sat and caught up amongst the peace and serenity of their new property.  Why is it that it takes so long to get together with good friends??

On Sunday, finishing off our trifecta of visiting, we had a cook out with a handful of families.  There were kids playing and singing, food galore and good conversation had underneath the trees while the humid breeze blew.  We were exhausted by the end, but it is such a blessing to have good people with which to share your life.  It makes all the hard things so much easier to bear.

So we go forth into this next week with a few chances at more hospitality.  Summer is a great time to get together and see people you haven't seen in awhile, as well as spend some relaxing time with people you see all the time.  I hope you had a great 4th of July, too.

God Bless!