Читать книгу It’s Not About the Pie - Nicki Corinne White - Страница 46

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However, to be completely honest, it is true that a couple hours before Bible

study, I usually run around and touch up the house, get out dishes for dinner,

figure out beverages, and get things set up. Our dog, Ginger, knows the drill.

She knows people are coming over, and she waits by the door because mommy

is acting like people are coming. One time my friend, Lyn, came about thirty

minutes early. She asked what she could do to help, and I said I was doing OK, but

I was sweaty and running around. Then she said in her witty way, trying to calm

me down and help me regain my perspective, “You know, I have a friend writing

a book called

It’s Not About the Pie

.” She loved me enough to get my attention

with that bit of humorous sarcasm, and I got the message. Here I was stressing

while writing a book that tells others not to stress. I do race around when people

come, and have even been known to paint a mural before a gathering—yes, it’s

true. I think it’s that “art thing.” I have painted a scene on a wall as part of my

decorating, sometimes hours before people have come over. I think we all want to

be prepared when people are coming over. There is nothing wrong with that; it is

a good thing. However, we must think about the purpose of hospitality, which is

not perfection.

My college friend, Re, had this to say about her house and “perfection”:

I have piles of stuff: piles of papers, magazines, laundry, dishes, mail,

newspapers, random boxes. With three children, I had piles of backpacks,

toys, and school papers. You may have some of the same piles as I do, or

they may vary. That’s OK. Don’t let the stacks of stuff in your house keep

you from inviting people in. I used to always apologize for the messiness