when we were growing up, one of the things that i always loved about my mom was how welcoming she was…to my friends (and my sister’s, too)…my mom had (and still has)…

the gift of hospitality…

she says she’s 1/2 croatian, 1/2 ukrainian (white russian version)…but, i believe, to this day…that she’s got some mexican blood in her…there is something innate, something at her core…that rises to the top, when she’s in her element at home…something that reveals itself as the mi casa, su casa way of life…

this was evident throughout our childhood when friends would come over and hang out and have a meal…

there were countless times when my college roommates [magne (& kristine), einar (& kjersti), and tom…besides kristine, all of these friends are native norwegians–born and bred, baby!  they lived and studied in the u.s. for their college careers and we had some great times together] would stop by on a weekend or holiday back from college…and she would make up an amazing meal (more food than you could imagine) …stuffed, we would lounge around, talk, play games and laugh together (except einar, who could always be found sleeping in the recliner)…

another time that sticks out in my mind is when we had a surprise night visitor…it happened on one particular christmas eve…

well, it was well past midnight and we were all asleep…when there was a knock at the door…it was phuoc (we called him ‘foo’)…[he was a friend from high school, but since then, we had both been to college and were now living in the same town of olympia, washington]…my mom and my sister found him some bedding and a place to sleep…and i greeted him in the morning…and we ‘just had christmas together’…it wasn’t planned, it wasn’t announced, it wasn’t even on an invitation–but, my mom took him in…

thinking back, i know he didn’t have anywhere else to go…so, he came to our house…he knew he would be welcome there…

hospitality was/is her love language...no doubt…this was especially important for us since we were a military family and moved around a lot…it was a really crucial thing for us to have growing up…because back then, we knew that wherever we went…our friends would always be welcome at our house…

so, thank you, mom…for that loving and welcoming spirit!  it is something that we hope to cultivate in our own home…as our children grow up…

happy mother’s day!

love. dave.