Be a SHELTERING TREE.

I HAVE JUST RETURNED from my Mother's home. This is a trip my daughter and I make when my oldest Grandbuddy is at Church camp. My youngest Grandson goes along with us. Here's the scoop. I come from a long line of Southern Women. If you know anything about us, you know that our chief goal in life is to bamboozle you with our hospitality. Saying that, I have spent the last five days being fed every favorite food in my vocabulary, my clothes ironed, and just plain ole' bein' "LOVED ON ". That last run on sentence was spoken in the regional vernacular. 

It felt good. It felt great. It's relaxing. There's something about being at your Mother's house. A sort of safety from the world, a place where you can be SHELTERED.  I have tried to remember this feeling in my hospitality skills. I want my children and Grandbuddies to feel that feeling here when they come to stay. I try and follow certain routines for them. They have their own plates & special cup/glass. My sons favorite spoon from his childhood is still in the drawer. My Grandsons fight over who gets to use Uncle Bub's spoon! There's something so comforting about feeling like you are someone special at your family home.

Older southern people called their family home "The Home Place" I like that. I want to create that. I know the home / homes my children were raised in are long ago and far, far away. But our memories and treasures are still with us. My southern girl hospitality still abounds and I can be (like Momma Jane) a sheltering tree. We can lavish the hospitality on our friends and family. Meet them at the door with some ice tea (like my girlfriend Lynne). Give them the stories of their youth (like my gal Marci). Just "LOVE ON 'EM REAL GOOD". People need that. They need you, your brand of hospitality, YOUR SHELTERING TREE.