The Extended Table

I was recently asked if Mark and I would ever live alone in our house. To some, this may seem like an odd question, but to those that know us, it makes perfect sense. You see, since we bought our house in 2005, we have not lived alone in it for more than a few months. We have been the home to strangers, family, friends and acquaintances. Sometimes these situations have worked out great. For example, we hope that the G family, who are living with us now, never leave. Others, we have had to ask to leave because of issues with their drug use, and the drama that they brought into the household. Every single person that has lived with us is someone that I have come to love and every night, my bedtime prayer includes best wishes for each and every one of those people.
For me, the extra bodies in our home over the years have represented the very core of homemaking. Love. Homemaking is a labor of love, just as opening your home to those less fortunate is. So, we set a few extra places at the dinner table, and love a few extra people. What more can you ask for?
Opening our home has also had other benefits for us. Sometimes we have benefited financially, sometimes we have struggled because of the extra expense. We have always been able to make it through, and I believe that that is because we have been willing to serve others in a way that was often best for them, and best for us.
So extend your table today, open your homes and your hearts to the joy of homemaking an open home.