Froese Hotel

In my head, that paragraph was loaded with sarcasm. It is true, I do love hosting. And all the things I listed are things I will catch myself stressing over. Thankfully, I married a man who doesn't care overly much what others think of him and some of that is rubbing off on me. I now happen to love having people simply drop in and end up staying for supper or coffee. My counter might be full of dishes, but the espresso machine still works and usually there's at least a few clean cups. 

Hospitality is a soap box I can jump on pretty quickly. I have lots of opinions on it. I don't practice all of those opinions very well myself, but, you know, the thought counts too, right? 😏 and right now, my thoughts are about hosting overnight guests. 

Currently, I have 5 extra people in my house. 4 adults and 1 child. It's delightful. I didn't know them at all when they came and will probably never see them again after they leave. But I get the privilege of hosting them for 3 nights. Overnight guests are the ones I tend to stress over most. What if they don't like the bed? What if the pillow isn't what they prefer? What if a mouse decides now would be a good time to take a stroll through the guest room? What if the toilet clogs? (which would be a real issue because we don't own a plunger. ) 

The first time I hosted overnight guests, we lived in a holiday trailer and parked a second one beside us for my sisters and cousins. Now, I have 2 rooms for guests, and a recroom that I can make beds in, if needed. We have family on 3 continents, friends all over the globe, and host strangers regularly, and sometimes it seems like my guest rooms are hotel rooms. Dumpy hotel rooms, mind you.They are in dire need of paint jobs, one has carpet older than my grandpa, and there might be icicles on the windows in winter. Also, thistime of year the mice are trying to make my house their home and you might be able to sniff the decaying dead ones in the walls or you might see/hear a live one. Do you see why I struggle with insecurity about hosting?

I'd like to think I've got over myself, somewhat. And I have, but there's a ways to go yet. I'm learning to simply enjoy the people, do what I can to make them feel welcome, and remind myself that a picture perfect house does not necessarily mean it is welcoming. I have space to share with others, the ability to serve them, and it's a way to show Christ's love, whether I do it in a fancy new house or my tired old one. 

 

Here's 3 things I have started doing that I always enjoyed when I was an overnight guest somewhere. 

1. A basket with water bottles and snacks. I love digging through something like that when I'm the guest, and making them up for guest rooms is almost more fun. Doesn't have to expensive, fancy things. I buy big packages of snacks that will keep for awhile, and usually add apples or clementines when I make a basket. 

2. Make sure each room has a lamp. There's something about having a lamp in a guest room that helps it feel more homey and inviting, particularly if guests are arriving later in the evening. 

3. Have a box/basket of emergency things that guests might have forgotten. Go to Dollarama and buy some bottles of shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, toothbrushes, a nail clippers, painkillers, ect. I just leave mine sitting on the bathroom counter for them to look through if they need something. I won't always have what they need, but that's okay. 

What do you do for overnight guests? How do you work through whatever insecurities you have about hosting? Can you teach me a thing or 2?