Around the Table. Around the World

Posted on by Michele Morin

For all its challenges, moving into a fixer-upper six days before the birth of my oldest son was what set my face like a flint in this direction:

We will not wait for perfection. 
We will welcome the world into our home. 

Hanging off the northeast corner of the U.S. mainland, we’re not on the way to anywhere, but whenever missionaries visit our church, we jump at the chance to gather them around our table.

Sign us up!

The energetic young couples with multiple children, the middle aged with support levels sagging, the nearly retired with their golden memories and wealth of hard-won wisdom:  we want to hear firsthand their stories of the faithfulness of God.  We want to ask all the questions.   We want to let our hearts travel around the world so that we can be reminded that God is at work everywhere.

DSCN0586.JPGThere’s Mediterranean Pasta Salad on the menu today (and I’ll be sharing the recipe!), so I hope you’ll pull up a chair and join me for the remainder of this History of Morin Hospitality over at Welcome Heart where Sue Donaldson has thrown open all the doors (and windows) in an enthusiastic greeting.

While you’re there, you’ll notice that this post is wrapping up a series on hospitality with all its many beautiful faces.  If this is the first post that you’ve read in the series, click here to catch up.

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And the conversation will not end here!  The welcome mat is always in place at the Every Table Tells a Story Facebook Community.

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Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a teacher, blogger, reader, and gardener who finds joy in sitting at a table surrounded by women with open Bibles. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty years, and together they have four sons, two daughters-in-love, three grandchildren, and one lazy St. Bernard. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.

34 thoughts on “Around the Table. Around the World”

  1. Many years ago we had a church near Lake Ontario. Our children were little and we invited missionaries to our home. While reading this I was trying to remember some memories but I couldn’t. Maybe they’re in my journal. I do know that it left a great impression on our children.

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    1. We’ve had all the “different kinds” of possible experiences with our guests and our children. Some embarrassing. Some enthralling. For the most part, our missionary guests have been aware of their role in the lives of “future missionaries.”

      Liked by 1 person

  5. What a great time of table-sharing Michele! I loved reading this glimpse into your “teachable-moments” kind of lifestyle with your children. I am sure that they will reap the fruit from those many dinners for years to come! Blessings to you!

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  6. Stopping by from #FridayFrivolity to tell you how much I loved this post over at the Every Table Tells a Story series! And your delicious-looking recipe is printed out and sitting on my kitchen counter as I type! 😉

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  8. That pasta salad looks good and so ready for a new recipe for a salad here in Texas for the summer. YUM!

    Michele I know you blessed all those who have sit around your table.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. We moved in to our house when I was pregnant with the twins and immediately got put on bedrest. There’s still a room that is filled with boxes and odd end tables. The twins are three. Sometimes you just have to live and let go of the rest! I think being hospitable and letting others hosts you requires this! You HAVE to let people in on your imperfections. P.S. Love that pasta salad.

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    1. Odd coincidence — and it was years before we opened all our boxes, too. I remember the house felt SO BIG to us (before we filled it up with boys).
      And kids help with the business of letting people in on our imperfections. What they don’t discover on their own, our kids will happily broadcast! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Laughing as I read this because our 3 year old twins have just decided to terrorize each other on a daily basis when left alone in their room WHICH MEANS we are clearing out that room today to separate them! Desperate times and what not…

        Liked by 1 person

  11. Michele,
    I really think we need to fight for keeping the tradition of gathering around the table (vs. gathering around the cell phone). This is where true hospitality happens. Learned my lesson, years back, that good hospitality does not depend upon the thickness of the dust on my coffee table 🙂
    Blessings,
    Bev xx

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    1. Oh, thank you for saying that about dust. I have a crew landing here on Thursday after my mum’s committal service, and all I can think about is the dog hair and the dust. Gonna try to clear a path, but I”m not going to stress about this.

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  12. I’ve learned to always have food on hand…because my husband will often invite someone (or two, or 15 over for a meal). Hospitality is in the attitude, not what’s on the table!

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  13. I LOVE your attitude! The longer we were overseas, the harder and harder it became to find people who wanted to meet for a meal and talk about our (or even their) ministry. Everyone seems even busier every time we come back to the US! Thanks for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday on Mommynificent.com this week!
    Tina

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  14. I grew up in this kind of home – welcoming to any and all. While at times my life is too busy to plan get-togethers, I find myself joy-filled when spontaneity grows a party! I love your quote about perfection, as that’s my struggle! 🙂

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    1. Yes, I have to let go of the perfectionism thing, too, Carol, or I’d never open my door to anyone. We just have to remember that people are not coming to see our house or to judge our housekeeping.

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  15. I love this! Like you, we look forward to having workers from around the world join us and share their stories. I’m looking forward to a couple of special visits this year! Thank you for sharing this post with us at Encouraging Word Wednesday this week!

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  16. My toes always get stepped on when it comes to the subject of hospitality. When we do have people over, I think I’m a fine host. I actually like the preparing part. The problem is that I don’t like having people over very much. 😦 How I love people like you!!!! People who open up their homes are some of the BEST people!!

    Always a pleasure to see you at #LMMLinkup. 🙂

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  18. I love the idea of accepting anyone to the table and hearing their story of God’s work. I often times hesitate doing this because of my young children or bc just feel we don’t have big enough home. The way you talk about it doesn’t matter was encouraging and convicting. Thanks for sharing this experience- excited to read more from the series hospitality.

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    1. It’s so good for kids to have guests in their homes. The tiny bit of mayhem that they may cause is offset by the blessing they bring to our guests and the huge impact for good that it has in their hearts.

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