Feels Like Home for Real

There are landmark moments that make a place into home. Being close to family is a big one for most of us. For us, here, that isn't part of home here. I guess for many people who live far from their families it isn't. However, there are other moments that have made Grassy home for us.

This week we had company. Company in my home is a landmark for me. For most of the years we were in Toronto we didn't have a lot of overnight company. We were in a tiny apartment which made it easy to excuse our lack of gracious hospitality. In reality, if I am honest with myself and you, we just weren't practicing hospitality in an overnight way.

Here, if we want any guests we have to practice hospitality of the overnight kind. It has been wonderful; a growing experience and a blessing. My parents have been here, LK's mom has been, and now our dearest friends, and Hospitality Heroes, have been here.

They have family in the Peg, and were willing to take a few days out of a family visit to drive up to Grassy and check out our home. After the hours and hours of gracious hospitality that they have extended to us (and anyone who ever needed some TLC) over the years, it was so delightful to have them here.

We did the Grassy tour, the school tour, and hikes in the bush. We did lunch at the Plaza in town (the most lovely Greek food, and really gracious service- especially considering we had 4 small and loud children with us). Unfortunately, as parents of small children we were all exhausted by 8:30 pm and weren't able to get in a game of Settlers. Maybe when they come back (which I really hope they will) we will all have more energy (and our children will sleep through the night and past 5:30 am).

Yesterday we drove into town in convoy and waved them off at the highway. With big grins on our faces and tiny tears in the corner of our eyes we watched their car disappear down the road. We love our Hospitality Heroes dearly. Thank you for coming to visit us.

As we drove home after our town errands, LK turned to me and said, "It really feels like home, now that our friends have come to visit."

So, the adventure that was supposed to be just a year away from our real home is turning into our real home. God is changing us a little bit each day. I am thankful for the change- perhaps one day I will no longer be a city slicker.