eggs and rockband

Sharon and Tom Rich. I have always wanted to have a house like theirs. I don't suppose there's anything particularly special about this house. Sure it's comfortable and well decorated but it's just a regular one story tan house with a big basement located on the outskirts of Clermont Iowa. (Then again, I guess when you live in a town that's only like three square blocks, most of the houses are located on the outskirts of town.) What makes the Rich house special is that it's doors are always open. It's the kind of place where you feel at home the minute you walk through the doors, and everyone belongs. Parents can feel good about sending their teenagers to a place like that. The soda fridge in the garage is always stalked, and it's the kind of place where you can stay up late talking with friends and you don't feel like and imposition.

My parents also did a great job modeling this concept for me. They always welcomed our friends warmly. So when my brother's tall friend decided to do a handstand and put his foot through our basement ceiling they chose to laugh because they knew that the relationships that were build under their roof (and through it apparently) were way more important than the cost of repairs.

So what made me think of all this? Tonight a couple of friends came to my house for spaghetti, sugar cookie making, Easter egg decorating, and rock band. It was pretty much the awesomest party ever. I am pretty close with one of the girls I went to her house during Spring Festival. In China it is common to refer to a close friend as your sister or brother, so her father told me that she can be my little sister. When she came my house tonight she told me that she feels really comfortable in our home because she is like my little sister.

Mike and I have always wanted to have a house with open doors. We want to make visitors feel like family. We want our house to be the kind of place where you can help yourself to the fridge or invite yourself over without feeling awkward or intrusive. I Thes. 2:8 talks about being delighted to share not only the Good News, but our lives as well. It seems like inviting people into your home is a part of that.