KEY #H3: MY HOSPITALITY BLOOPERS!

My own hospitality bloopers are the focus of interest today.  I thought it was time for a bit more humor . . . at my expense, of course!
If you are new to my blog, I give you a hearty welcome and invite you to continued to journey with me in the Land of Abundant Living!  This four-part series is on Hospitality and I encourage you to head over to my Blog Archive (see lower right corner of this blog) and visit the last two blogs, which explain more of how I believe God sees the practice of hospitality that He so encourages.

But today we laugh . . .
My old friends know . . . and my new ones are learning . . . that one never arrives early when invited to my home.  I can be found up to the last precious minute rushing around like a flying grasshopper from room to room, checking the fresh towel supply, tossing aside dust balls that magically appear on a freshly washed floor, hunting for napkins that match, etc.  In fact, once when I had invited a couple to our home for the first time, I was running behind with my preparations and I actually prayed that they would arrive late.  Well, they did, the reason being that they were stopped for speeding and got a ticket.  I humbly apologized.  After all, it was my fault, wasn't it?

Graduations bring out the best in me . . . or maybe the worst, from my poor husband's point of view.  Everything . . . and I mean everything . . . has to be perfect (which never happens, by the way!) for the special event.  We paint walls, shampoo the carpet, plant grass in worn-away spots, besides the usual hectic week-ahead preparations.  I remember when one of our children graduated . . . not sure which one . . . memories run together after all these years.  Winter had lasted longer than necessary (I felt) and spring brought heavy rains.  In order to block as much dirt and mud from being tracked into the house from the door to the garage, I had hung a huge sign with large letters "WIPE YOUR FEET!" on the outside of the door leading from the garage into the front entry hall.  Well, the morning of our festive celebration, all five of us worked feverishly, hauling the large tables and card tables, folding chairs, tablecloths and decorations out to the garage for the overflow of guests.  The day turned out to be gorgeous, sunny and clear, and my lilacs were blooming in the driveway with enough of an abundance to serve as centerpiece bouquets for all the tables.  Just before the guests began to arrive, I gave everything a once-over and sighed with satisfaction.  The day would be perfect!  

And it was, or so I thought.  Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, the food was delicious and plentiful and the honored guest had a great time.  Towards evening, things were winding down, the garbage bags were full and most of our company had left.  I looked forward to a quiet, restful evening with my family.  Most of the day, I had stayed inside the house, visiting and overseeing the kitchen work occasionally, though I was usually gently shoved out of there by my wonderful, capable friends who had everything under control.  Now, at last, I pulled up a chair by a table in the garage and sat down to visit with a cousin I didn't get to see very often.  

After some "catching-up" conversation, my cousin told me she needed to leave so we both picked up dishes and began to carry them into the house.  
Then I saw it.  Prominently displayed on the outside of the garage door that had been shut most of the afternoon in an effort to keep bugs outside, was the sign that I had forgotten to remove before the party, hanging there with its commanding message, "WIPE YOUR FEET!"  Horrified, I turned to my cousin and pathetically inquired, "Did anyone say anything about the sign?"  

She was quiet for a moment, that cheerily replied, "Well, we all wiped our feet!"

One more story, although this one qualifies more in the catagory of an uninvited guest.  When my daughter, E, was about three or four years old, she loved to play with my hair.  I would sit on the sofa for a much needed rest and E perched on the back of the sofa behind me while she tenderly and expertly styled my hair into a variety of fancy looks.  At one time, I would have a set of braids on one side of my head and a few pony tails sticking out here and there with no special order or design.  Of course, all of them were ornamented with her own colorful assortment of barrettes and ribbons.  I really should have had her take a picture, but didn't think of it at the time.  Wonder if my hairdresser could duplicate that unique look?  Oh, well.  We enjoyed our special time together while Baby K was napping.  Eventually, E eventually tired of styling my hair and wandered off to play.  I decided to sweep the kitchen floor. As I was in the middle of that chore, the doorbell rang.  I openned the door to find a salesman on the doorstep.  I can't remember what he was selling, and he probably doesn't either!  I thought he acted a bit strange, though I was very polite.  He began to give me his little sales pitch, but I don't think he even got to the point of trying to sell me anything.  He didn't stay very long.  I closed the door, wondering why he was even in the sales business and finished sweeping the floor.  My next intention was to clean the bathroom and when I caught my reflection in the mirror, I instantly realized the reason for his strange behavior.  I smiled as I thought to myself,  "Maybe I should have some barrettes handy the next time a door-to-door salesman appeared!"

That's probably enough bloopers for now!  Any of your own to share?  I'd love to hear some!
Please join me next week for some Hospitality Tips, some from my own collection and more gathered from friends!