When my parents arrived at my house for their visit on Wednesday night, they were on a first name basis with their Uber driver and my mom hugged him right before he drove away.
I have a vague memory of my parents that has stuck with me for over thirty years. I was young-maybe five or six, possibly even younger. I remember coming into my house from playing and my mom was sharing our dinner with a little girl. I’ll never forget my mom making this girl the biggest glass of chocolate milk. I can’t remember the details but this little girl had run away from a local shelter. My parents gladly welcomed her in and gave her a place to sit at our table.
My parents are like that. They don’t meet strangers, they look you in the eye and talk to you. They always ask questions. They have lots of stories to tell. They are unashamed of their faith and they will gladly tell you the secret to a long marriage is their relationship with Christ. They are funny and quirky. My dad loves to play guitar and my mom loves to cook and make delicious food. They are an example of what it means to welcome anyone and everyone to the table, to their table of life.
They moved from my childhood home a couple of years ago and they are welcoming their new neighbors to their front porch for coffee and Bible studies, they reach out and check on neighbors, they welcome them into their home, to their table.
Everyone has capacity to welcome people into their lives. It looks different for everyone but who are you welcoming to your table? Who do you need to welcome?
A front porch view 
Your parents sound so sweet! I love the way that you’ve described the connections they make with everyone they meet!
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They are pretty special. Thanks for reading today’s slice.
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This is just what the world needs after 2 years (yes on Sunday is the anniversary of that Friday the 13th!!) of forging new paths which pickled some people’s emotions from the lack of connection. Although, as an introvert, I found it oddly restorative at times. However, anyone in education in the past 20 months has been working overtime to address the effect of separation on our students. Thanks for sharing. What a model of compassion.
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I agree. The pandemic separation has affected us all in ways we will be working overtime to reverse or maybe traverse, for years to come. Thanks for reading my slice.
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What a wonderful story and a powerful ending with those two questions. It has me wondering… Thank you!
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Thank you for reading my post today. I am also really thinking about who else I need to ask to join me at my table.
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