The importance of hospitality

My only real plan for today involved a book and a chair. I'd hoped to laze around reading. I don't usually allow myself that luxury because there's so much to be done around the house! But being a Saturday with the rare occurrence of no obligations to anyone, I was going to read to my heart's content.

Nothing ever seems to work out the way I want it to.

Ruf had a stormtrooper build party to attend today. This is where the stormtroopers all get together and build, fix, or modify their armor. But he came home quite early. He said it was just too hot in the guy's garage, and everyone went home. He was disappointed.

Just a few moments after he arrived home, he received a call from a fellow stormtrooper. The guy had driven an hour to attend the build party, only to find that no one was there! Ruf felt bad for him, so he invited the guy over. He'd planned to just work on his armor in our garage anyway, so it was no big deal to have someone else come over to work, too.

The guy showed up with his wife and baby.

So, I wound up playing gracious hostess. The wife is also wanting to be a stormtrooper, so they were actually there to work on her armor. I could see that they were having some difficulty juggling armor and the baby, so I took her from them so they could work. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not much of a baby person. I don't know why; I've just never had much interest in babies. So, this was a Big Deal for me to babysit (but I certainly didn't let them know that!).

We invited them to stay for dinner, which thankfully, I'd actually planned. Saturday nights typically consist of Ruf asking what we're going to eat and my giving him a blank stare in response. (Hey, Saturday is my day off, too!) I had brats for Ruf to grill, and loads of veggies, fruit, and chips. We even had dessert, thanks to Ruf's grabbing a box of apple turnovers when we were at Sam's this morning.

It wasn't the afternoon/evening I was expecting, but it turned out nice. I really like these people, so I didn't mind the impromptu party. They were so sweet and appreciative, so then I really didn't mind. And Ruf was so grateful to have a gracious wife who didn't lock herself up in a room and pretend that she was home alone!

Sometimes I think it's good to have upset plans just so we can have a reminder of how important it is to always be ready to show hospitality. Admittedly, though, I don't want that to happen too often!