The VIPs Arrive Today!

Ready or not, my special guests arrive at our house later today. The guestrooms and bathrooms are relatively clean and I'm waiting with great anticipation.

I remember that in our childhood, when my grandparents would come to visit us from across the country, my siblings and I would wait outside on the curb all day the day they were expected. They always drove, and my parents must have had a vague idea of the time frame when they'd arrive, but to us kids it felt like we waited on that curb for hours.

The excitement would build as the time passed until we would see them pull onto the street. It's the same excitement I feel now whenever I open my home to family or visiting friends. You want everything to be ready for them, as if the cleanliness that greets them could relay to them how happy you are to have them in your home!

My childhood home was filled with visitors - we lived in Southern California, close to Disneyland, so perhaps that added to our appeal as a destination. But I prefer to think that it was my parents' welcoming hearts and the warmth of their invitation that drew people for visits.

My daddy had a special tourist circuit that we'd take guests on - they saw all of the high points for Southern California when they came to our house! I don't remember my parents ever conveying the impression that guests were an imposition. They even entertained guests they didn't know, including a French youth I'd met during my European travels who showed up unannounced and indicated I'd invited him to visit if he was ever in the area. I don't think I was even living at home at the time - but my mom and dad welcomed him and showed him hospitality.

I hope our home is half as welcoming as the home of my childhood, and that we'll be lucky enough to continue to welcome VIPs!