A Toast to the Hosts!
Hosting 101: A Small Tribute
Image Title: Jules-Alexandre Grun, “The End of Dinner” [notice how everyone is lingering??]
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
When I was little, an aura of enchantment graced each family gathering. The seamless execution of carefully fashioned plans worked its magic on our guests, who stayed longer than they intended to bask in the glow of family time and partake of the fruits of the table and the mind. I flitted about the rooms, interacting with partygoers and drawing energy from the convivial atmosphere. Color coordination, fine taste, and attention to detail reigned supreme; all facets converged in the marvel that was each successful party.
I reflect on this now because I am immersing myself the hustle and bustle and jubilant chaos of a family wedding. My cousin and his fiancée, both of whom regularly bring beauty into the world through their music and both of whom already wish to carry on the family legacy of hosting, will be man and wife by the end of the day. I find the process of establishing new traditions and retaining old ones fascinating and eagerly watch my cousins decide how they wish to honor our family’s heritage in their married or single lives. Additionally, many of us were reflecting on relationships, life, and God’s hand in influencing human affairs at last night’s rehearsal dinner. Several generations were in attendance with a common goal: to honor the bride and groom and shower them with love and support. My grandma gave a moving toast about the elements of a solid and lasting marriage: trust, thoughtfulness, good communication, and faith numbered among the traits she listed. The night before, I heard that my cousin and his fiancée, surely overwhelmed by the week’s craziness, selflessly opened their home to guests with a sumptuous feast, likely a nod to the eagerness of those same guests to welcome others with open arms, full hearts, and lavish spreads of homemade delicacies.
The idea to write about this phenomenon- for a phenomenon it really is- occurred to me as I helped my aunts, grandma, and mom decorate the rehearsal dinner venue. In recent years, I’ve begun to notice (my awareness grows in proportion to the degree of my involvement in the process of preparation) exactly how much effort goes into planning and bringing to fruition events of this magnitude; I’ve also realized how much I value acts of service, hospitality, and generosity. With no sign of reluctance and no furrowed brows, every person fulfilled their duties with alacrity… almost like clockwork. My aunt repeatedly thanked us all for our assistance, to which my grandma responded, “It’s what we do for family!” It was only natural that we would lighten my aunt and uncle’s load to the best of our combined abilities, just as it’s only natural that a troupe of aunts and uncles help us set the house to rights after a normal family gathering. It’s almost second nature.
Picking up the baton, I now host friends in my college town as often as I can. I do not hesitate to cross a hectic intersection just to walk to the farmers’ market to purchase fresh fruit and a teacup flower arrangement for a visiting professor or consult a slew of cookbooks to find a recipe for a dinner party: it’s the least I can do! In fact, it brings me great joy to know that I can offer respite to the weary (yes, I’m also referring to college students) in such a humble way. Even Christ wanted one of His last earthly memories to be of a “family” gathering. I’ll close by quoting the refrain of a moving song that I’ve attached to this post:
“Whatever you brought here tonight
We will feast and find the light
Drink in every cup of joy and grief
Only God knows why we all
Stumbled in this dining hall
Searching for the food that we all need
Let us gather round the table:
“Come and Eat.” [“Taste and see!”, anyone?]
The peace and constancy of those we trust and the customs they maintain provide solace and joy in the midst of our troubled and uncertain times. Praising the happy couple in her toast yesterday, a friend thanked them for making her feel welcome and accepted. Let’s do our part to banish loneliness and promote unity and harmony… by simply throwing open the doors of our homes and hearts!