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This is day 27 in a 31 day series on hospitality. Start from the beginning here.

When we listen to another, we catch a slight glimpse of their soul.  We create an open page where they are free to write their story.  We help people remember who they are.

If there is one gift you can give another human being,  it is a listening heart.   Nothing validates us, makes us whole, helps us become who we are meant to be, as much as to be heard.

But we don’t listen well, do we?  We are busy, distracted, stressed, overworked, overburdened, anxious,  and selfish.

We don’t listen because we don’t have space for others.  

Our lives are chaotic and cluttered and full.

We lack margin.  We don’t know how to quieten the buzz.    We don’t really even want to.

But when we lose margin, we lose our humanity.

Margin is the space between us and our limits.   It’s  what gives us the time and compassion to listen.

Margin gives us time to play…..

time to paint pumpkins…..

time to learn to crochet…….

Time to bake cupcakes….

Time to be sisters…..

The margin of our lives is where the garden grows….

and the sun sets…..

It’s where we learn to stargaze and bird watch.

It’s where we sing and dance…..

It’s where we linger to feel the magic of the everyday.

It’s where we remember so keenly that these moments are fleeting…..

It gives us the space to breathe……

To read……

Or even nap….

Maybe every good thing that happens, happens here, on the sidelines, in the space between us and our schedules.

And we miss them because we haven’t learned to listen.

Because we’ve made lives with no margin.  No room for what might be.  No room for the soul to breathe.

And this place, as you might have guessed is where hospitality lives.  In the margins.  Where we make room for others and their beautiful struggle.

Where we learn to really listen—-to incline our hearts to someone else.

So, my question for you is this?

Is there any room between you and your limits?

Are you exhausted?  Always on the verge of tears?  Spent? Irritable?  Lacking joy?

You need margin.  And you may have to fight for it.

I gave my family the gift of margin when I quit working.

And everytime I am willing to listen.

To slow down.  To learn to say no to all the noise.  To stay home.  To choose the path less traveled.

But it’s not natural in our modern world so I fight for it everyday.

And some days I fail miserably.

But some days………

I see it.  I hear the beautiful symphony of life.  I hold onto  joy and I listen well,  like my life depends on it.

And I’m starting to wonder if maybe, in some ways,   it does.

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I recommend this book if you long to create space in your life.   Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives

This is day 25 in a 31 day series on hospitality. Start from the beginning here.

If I learned anything from being a christian, it’s this—-life is full of beautiful paradox.

Nothing is as it seems.

The first shall be last.

You must die to live.

Lose your life to find it.

Give and you shall receive.

And so it is with hospitality.  I’m the host of this series, the ‘host’, if you will, of this website.  I pay the hosting fees, I write the content, I take the pictures,  I ‘set the table’—–and then I invite you all to come to here and be my guests.

But guess who reaps most of the blessings from opening this ‘home’ to you.

I do.

Meeting you here for the last four years has been life-changing and life-giving for me.

Because you have loved me and accepted me and encouraged me, I have a better understanding of myself.  I am more ‘me’ because of opening myself to you.

I understand my gifts, my weaknesses, my prejudices better .  You have helped me to know myself.  I am reaching my potential as a writer, mother and wife because of you.

So don’t approach hospitality as if someone else needs your love and acceptance.   Enter into  hospitality because you need it most of all.

I have written this series with much anguish and emotion, not because I can’t think of what to say but because I can’t decide what to leave out.

Kathleen blessed me so when she said,  “You’ve found your sweet spot in this series.”

And if I’ve found my sweet spot, it’s because of you.   Because you have  helped me to see.

C.S. said,  “I do not write to be understood, I write to understand.”

And isn’t it so with all of us?   The things we’re most passionate about are the things we’re wrestling with and struggling to understand.

I don’t have it all figured out but as I write and you respond and encourage, the truth shines in my heart.  I begin to grasp the beautiful tension that exists in every true thing.

Hospitality blesses people, for sure.  But none more than the host.

So, thank you, for ushering in this treaure trove of blessings.

I am most humbled and grateful.

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By popular demand, I’m working on a post on ‘the well-appointed hostess’ with some tips on readying yourself for guests, along with some advice on listening, difficult guests, and even my sister’s amazing hospitality as she hosted a square dance.  Pray that I have the strength to finish strong.  We’re almost there!

Also, Jessica, who  is a dear, long time friend of mine that I met in my first year of blogging is sharing over at lifeingracegirls today!   We were both homeschooling at the time and both trying to find ways to make it through the days! Then, we had the privilege of meeting at Blissdom and she became my forever real-life friend too. She blogs about health and running at her blog Sweat is my Sanity.  Go give her some love:)))

This is day 24 in a 31 day series on hospitality. Start from the beginning here.

I invited myself over to Tammy’s house (hospitality in reverse)  to bake bread last week.  Tammy is a dear friend, a fellow homeschooler, an amazing cook and homemaker and the poster child for hospitality.   She is raising the most wonderful kids and opening her home constantly to others.  She’s so bubbly and kind and accepting and is always so inspiring to hang out with.  We had such a wonderful day together, baking every kind of bread and muffin possible, while the fall breezes blew through the kitchen.  Ahhh, what memories!  We take a trip every year to the Apple Farm and we decided it was time to  make some  new traditions together.

Side note:: Carver’s Apple Farm has the best apple fritters.  How many did I eat, you ask?  Well, that’s for me to know and you to find out.  ( I used to hate when my brother said that.)

Back to bread making day. For years, I have a longed to have a wheat grinder. I know what you’re thinking.   But if you could taste the bread that comes from freshly ground wheat you’d stop calling me Amish and go get us a grinder. I’m gonna own one at some point but for now I just keep inviting myself over to the homes of my wheat grinding friends. There are so many health benefits to this method of bread making. I’ll refer you to Bread Beckers site for all the nitty gritty but suffice it to say—42 vitamins and minerals and LOTS of fiber, not to mention the amazing texture and taste.  You need this bread in your life.

Tammy bought all her equipment and products from Bread Beckers.  They have a store in Atlanta and you can order online or visit your nearest homeschooling convention, where they usually teach their bread making workshops.

She uses hard red wheat and has been making bread this way for 15 years, still using the same grinder.  It’s a WhisperMill but don’t let the name fool you.   There is nothing ‘whisper’ about this process.  It’s loud and messy and so much FUN!  We used hard red wheat for this bread.

Here’s the recipe she uses (from the Bread Beckers cookbook) minus the lecithin and gluten.

I don’t exaggerate when I say that this is THE most wonderful textured dough I’ve ever had my hands in.  And suffice it to say that Ms. Tammy is a little more ‘precise’ than me.  She weighs her dough out so that all the loaves come out the same.  I covet her OCD ways but my family will have to make due with varying sizes of bread.

She uses the oven method for letting the bread rise but she doesn’t do the second step of letting it rise once in the pan.  She cooks it right away and it turns out great.  Has someone been pulling the wool over our eyes all the years?  No need for a 2nd rising?  She swears by it.

And that’s it.
Bake and eat.
Now, you’re Amish too.

The recipe she uses makes 5 loaves.   And two fishes.

Just kidding.

It’s a lot of bread but it freezes well and then there’s plenty for sharing.   She grinds enough wheat to make bread, muffins and peanut butter bars and I have to say that EVERYTHING I tasted that was made from this week was to die for.  SO incredibly tasty and so good for you.  Drink lots of water. (great article by Sue Becker about our desperate need for more water).    It’s loaded with fiber!

And I have to share some pics from around Tammy’s house.  It’s one of those homes that welcomes you right in.  You can tell she loves for her family well here.

Her husband makes these adorable kids’ kitchens. I want one. And another small child to go with it!

And have you ever seen anything so wonderful as this impeccably organized and beautiful pantry????

Banana nut muffins without the nuts. Delicious!

The turquoise chair that I tried to steal.

I hope you enjoyed meeting Tammy. I wish you could meet her in person, you’d love her and learn from her, like I do.
She sells Willow House and has an online store if you’d like to browse and shop.  I love my Willow House products!
Thank you, Tammy, for a wonderful day and for loving and feeding your family and friends so well!