Be our guest!

Don’t you just love that song from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast?  I must admit to have quietly hummed it to myself on many occasion whilst setting the dining table for a dinner party.  Ha! 

From my earliest memories, I can recall helping my Grandma and Mum set the table for a weekday dinner and for special occasions such as birthdays and Christmas, when we went over the top with the decoration. Perhaps my interest in helping was why my Grandma insisted that I must have her dinner set when she was longer with me in the natural world.  After each special gathering when the setting was washed up and ready to put away again, she would say to me “well it will be nice and clean for you to use now”. Gosh, if only she knew how many times I shed a tear when I am using that dinner set. It is a Noritake golden floral pattern and probably not very on-trend these days, but it is certainly very special to me, mainly because it is a lovely reminder of Grandma, her hospitality and love of cooking for family and friends.

It really is very significant when we share special moments and create traditions for generations to follow and I am often challenged by the need to slow down and spend time showing my family how much I love them by preparing a special meal and spending time enjoying it together … rather than it being quickly served and cleaned up so that I can move on to the next item on my to-do list! 

May I encourage you to take time to create a beautiful table setting … it starts an occasion so well when your family or guests can see that you have gone to a little effort for them and allbeit that some don’t care for ‘fuss’, I guarantee you that you will win them over with the symbolism of a well set table that says you love and care for them.  Give it a go … and we have some beautiful linen table runners or easy and meaningful throw-away paper placemats that might just do the trick! 

God Bless.  Jo x 

Help the needy, be inventive in hospitality .. Romans 12:13 (MSG)