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Fretting About Guests

August 20, 2014 by Kim Marquette

Confession time here.

It?s not about perfection, it?s about the people; so live life?together! I say this all the time, and I do believe it. I try to live it out. I know it?s the people that matter; not the food, the house, nor my outfit.

But we have company coming, and I am fretting just a little bit (okay a lot a bit). You see, they are old college friends, they got married first, had the first baby, she?s a nutritionist (so she will still be college thin), and we haven?t seen them in 20+ years. And they are coming to stay with us? overnight!

And? we have an old house. An old house that is in a constant state of disrepair! We are always in the middle of some project. And it?s summer so most projects get abandoned until winter (who wants to be inside in the summer?!).

Oh I love our house, but what will they think when they get to the front door and notice the piece of wood that is splintered (and by splintered I mean a huge chunk is gone)? And what about the boys bathroom, with the 3 holes in the wall? And the dog hair, I mean how can these dogs still be furry and shed this amount of hair? Also, most of the walls have some chip of paint missing and my dressing room door has a broken and duct-taped mirror (well at least the one door still in place, the other one is in the garage with an even worse cracked mirror).

Oh no, the vertical bedroom? I must keep them from the vertical bedroom. An old mattress is leaned against the wall, so the children have named it the vertical bedroom. This room is a complete disaster (read: youngest son occupied last and has since moved out, leaving this the catch all room). It?s slated last for repair due to the reinforcements we will need to call in (namely a demolition team).

My tub is old and has a rust stain, my white towels aren?t so white anymore, the pool holds water and beautiful from afar; but the edges are crumbling, the tile is popping off, and the fence has moved from black wrought iron to a lovely rust color.

But the den, kitchen and dining areas are all great (except for chipped paint and a missing light switch plate, which they no longer make. Oh, and the kitchen drape is hanging askew due to missing hooks. Where are those and who took them and why?).

The guest bath is great (the boys were never allowed to use it). Could I ask them to just wash in the sink of the guest bath?

Okay, enough! The answer is easy, it?s all about hospitality and hospitality starts in the heart, my heart!

I care about my guests more than I care about my house. I will welcome them with a hug, food, clean sheets, freshly washed dingy white towels and I will spend my time with them. I promise to not apologize for the house, after all no one else ever notices all that stuff, and if they do they must not care, because I?ve never heard anyone mention anything.

We?ve got people around our table 2-3 times a week and no one has yet to discuss the tub, the chipped paint, and the holes in the bathroom wall or the drape in the kitchen with its missing hooks. In fact, our guests kick off their shoes curl up on the couch and stay for hours. Because after all, it?s the people that matter? nothing else.

And? a 97? box of brownies fresh out of the oven makes living life together even sweeter!

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