“You can sit by me if you like,” Jarret said to me at lunch today
“Do you know why I asked you to sit by me?”, he asked.
“No, Why do you ask me to sit by you?” I replied.
“Because I like you! “he said with a shy smile.
Jarret is 4 years old.
He has been asking me to sit by him now for the past three weeks.
Our crew is building a shop at their farm.
The family has invited us in for lunch almost every day we’ve been on the job.
When I sit down at their 14 ft farm table I think,...this is what it must have felt like to be a part of a large threshing crew..
Grant Wood’s Dinner For Threshers
People with a real gift of hospitality are a dying breed.
Even here in Iowa.
It’s one thing to invite a few close friends over for lunch once in a while..
I scratch your back, you scratch mine..right?
Well, …it’s a completely different ball game to cook lunch for a construction crew of 4 , 5 days a week, for the better part of a month.
Today lasagna was on the menu
Yesterday I thought Jarret’s mom had asked if I wanted a piece of “cheese cake” for desert?
“Yummy I said..I love cheese cake…!
“No” she replied, I said “sheet cake”
my bad.
Well, today, guess what we had for desert?
Cheese cake topped with a blueberry filling.
I had to pry the guys away from the table today….
They did not want to go back to work.
John said it was the best tasting lasagna he’d ever had.
While I’m thinking about it..here’s a recent crew photo
Crew photo
I work with a great bunch of guys.
The morale on this crew is second to none.
Nothing worse than working around someone with a bad attitude.
At this point in my life, when I’m looking to hire someone, the numero uno thing I am looking for is
ATTITUDE.
I don’t care if you don’t know how to properly hold a hammer or read a tape measure.
I can teach you those things.
What I really detest is a whiner or someone with a dark cloud following them around.
I am really enjoying the guys that is helping me out this Winter.
As I write this, I feel like I’m starting to fade….4:30 AM comes pretty early
Jarret’s comments were still rolling around in my head when I got home from work, and I wanted to tell you about it…
Yea, I’m assuming I have a couple of regular readers 
There is just something serendipitous about a 4 year old requesting that I be his lunch buddy 3 weeks in a row.
I am a rich man.
I will miss Jarret when the job is done…
Heck, I will miss the whole family…
Here is a picture of the shop we’ve been working on:
End view of shop
One last thing before I sign off…
Did you know what the word Hospitality literally means?
Hospitality: Lover of strangers
I believe it is more caught than taught…
Jarret is growing up in a home where it is being modeled in a powerful way….
If I were a betting man, someday when he has a home of his own, he will also know how it’s done….
Is there anyone in your life, with the gift of hospitality? Tell me about them.
Tags: attitude, Christianity, faith, family, food, hospitality, Iowa, Life, lifestyle, love, personal, relationships, spirituality, thoughts, work
January 23, 2013 at 7:49 pm |
Hospitality is enabled by spiritual gifts. Those that really know how to practice it know how much we have been given; and want to share.
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Thanks for stopping by tonight! Just read your latest post..you raised some great questions. DM
January 24, 2013 at 5:55 am |
I loved this and could just hear his little voice asking to sit with you.
My Mom always had an amazing gift of hospitality; we didn’t have abundance growing up, but you’d never know it. There was always enough, always room for one more, and always an extra bed to be found for the troubled kid who didn’t want to go home. Always an extra coat, pair of mittens, old boots to be loaned. Always a $5 spot to tuck into our pockets when we headed to the rink, always.
Her kitchen is the center of the universe, still to this day. Country radio is on in the background, there’s always coffee ready and something simmering on the stove.
When my Dad died, where did we all gather? Including his siblings? Her kitchen.
Wonderful post, DM
DM
MJ
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I love hearing stories about your mom and your days growing up in the country! I almost feel like I’ve known your family for years
January 24, 2013 at 12:03 pm |
When I first moved away from home to go to med school, I happened to run into this girl that I had played in band with. It turns out, she had moved to the same place for school. Her grandfather and his wife were also in the area. The first week I met them, they insisted I come with them to do a service in an nursing home and then to their place for supper. Even when their granddaughter was home for vacation, they continued to have me over to their home for food meals, drove me to the airport and all-around made me feel welcome. They even had Patrick come over the next year, even though his wife was quite ill. My entire four years in that city, they were the most welcoming and loving people we knew. They treated us like their own and did the same for our friends that came along the way.
January 24, 2013 at 11:04 pm |
I really enjoyed your posting. What a sweet story! In the education field, we always say, “If you are having a bad day, just go into a kindergarten classroom for awhile.” You will always feel uplifted!
You definitely have an attitude of gratitude which will always make each and every moment in life (well almost) more fulfilling
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Thanks Angie! Fun to hear from you. DM
January 26, 2013 at 8:00 am |
I would say my friend Jennica. Love that girl. This is a really great post! I’m really amazed by your neck of the woods. City life is sooo different.