Picnics

Enough and Room to Spare by Frederick Morgan

You may wonder what this picture has to do with hospitality. I simply love this picture, because I had the infinite pleasure of growing up in a large family of seven children! We never felt there were enough or too many. In fact, there was always room at our table for company. We children sometimes had a friend or two who was included at meal times. Hospitality is not only about food. You can show hospitality in many other ways, and one particular way that we enjoyed in the summers growing up in Alaska was the picnic. My mother had a bamboo picnic basket from Japan which, if I am not mistaken, my father gave her from his travels overseas. That basket looked like a suitcase and was such a treasure to us. The lid contained places to put plates and cutlery, and inside she always had wonderful food, which was simple and plain, but, eaten in such a fashion, seemed special to us. There were crackers and cheese, potato salad, cold fried chicken and drinks. We sat on old quilts on the wild grass in a spot usually chosen for its view of a meadow, a marsh, or a distant hill. Company sometimes attended these events, and we had no trouble inventing games to play.

However the first "modern" picnic I ever experienced was hardly as romantic as those we indulged in during our childhood. They were unlovely affairs with coolers and metal chairs and tables, and no blanket on the ground. I missed my mother's wicker picnic basket and the quilt on the ground. I am happy to report that you can now find picnic baskets and have a "proper" picnic on the grass (one such place is Vision Forum, which carries a wonderful Edwardian Picnic Hamper in its Beautiful Girlhood Collection). This is an important part of connecting with our past and restoring our culture. We do not need more malls, rock music, cars and video equipment. We do not need more up to date clothing or modern appliances. We do not need more therapy. We need more of the old paths, where the good walk is, and where there is rest for our souls (Jeremiah 6:16).

Afternoon on the Hill Charles Courtne Curran You Can Order This Art Print from AllPosters.com

Cooling Off Percy Tarrant You Can Order This Art Print from AllPosters.com

This is a painting I actually have in my home, because it reminds me of the activities of my own childhood and the scenes of times with my own children. If my mother had been a career woman, she would not have had as much time for these leisurely activities. A stay-at-home mother is in no hurry, and, if it were not for her dedication and patience, I would not have any of these precious memories, nor would I have been able to train my children in the same experiences. A stay-at-home mother has time for these things. She is not trying to impress the world. She is not trying to be "smart." She is trying to raise up a generation that she will not be ashamed of and a batch of children who will have a good relationship with God and their fellow men. She is concerned about their habits and their attitudes. She notices every pout and every look. She sees the smallest detail of a child's development. This simply cannot be accomplished if the mother is absent from the home.

Hospitality is certainly neglected these days, and is almost a lost art, due to the absence of the full time homemaker. I keenly recall being a young mother and needing to talk to someone, but when I called around for some older woman, I discovered that they were all out working. The older woman whose children have "left the nest" is still very much needed in society. Who will be there to "entertain strangers" and extend hospitality to the lonely and those in need?

Won't You Have Some? Frederick Morgan You Can Order This Art Print from AllPosters.com

A Celebration of Spring Marv Brehm You Can Order This Art Print from AllPosters.com

Picnics create happy memories for your family. If you do not have a family take yourself and a friend on one. Here is a painting called "Celebration of Spring" by Mary Brehm. Lean back on a tree trunk, look at the sky, and talk about your dreams or your memories. And just below, here is a picture of a precious little boy picking apples from the very tree his mother planted when she was a young girl. I wonder who he is?

And now, as I promised last time, here are some tips on Being a Good Guest:

Being a good guest requires as much skill as being a good hostess. If you learn to live at home with the same courtesies, you won't have to find your "company manners" when you go to someone's house. Here are some good rules for the guest:

1. If you are an overnight guest, your host will be usually be happy to help you with any of your needs. You may ask questions regarding where to find things you need, or where to put things. You may also ask permission to use their computer to communicate back to your home. Most people are glad to accommodate in this respect.

2. If you are on a different time schedule than your hostess, she may need to know when you last ate. You can ask politely like this: "Is it all right if I make myself a sandwich? I haven't eaten since yesterday."

3. Do not allow your children free run of someone else's home. They do not have a right to go through other children's bedrooms or possessions and disorganize everything.

4. For children, "no food on foot" should be the rule, because spills and such damage furniture and carpets of the hostess. Make them eat in one place, preferably a table.

5. Remember to send a thank-you note within a week or so of the visit.