On Having a Full House

Every Thursday night, the entryway to my house is littered with shoes.  Dozens of shoes.  Between twenty to thirty college students from the campus ministry that my husband works with come to our house each week for dinner.


Only the new people ever bother to ring the doorbell.  They rest just walk in, kick off their shoes, and sidle into the kitchen.  They compliment my cooking and take heaping second helpings.  They play with the girls.  I watch as they decompress from the lifestyle of dorms and apartments and settle into our home, flopping themselves on couches and sitting in clusters on the back porch or on the family room floor.

I can't imagine living life without an open-door policy.  These students have become like family.

Late tonight, long after the meal was finsihed, I washed the dishes.  One student came along beside me.  "Give me any task to help you out," he said.

He grabbed the broom and swept the kitchen floor.  Another student dried the dishes.  One more sprayed the windows with Windex, wiping away all the fingerprints from the day.  Someone else vacuumed.  Another emptied the brimming trash cans and carried the bags to the garage.

Just watching it lifted my heart and lightened my load.  It's what family does.

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3 comments

  1. Oh, this made me so happy, but it made my heart hurt too. I remember the days of working for a college and having the student use my house as their second home. I miss that so much. We're near Wake but just far enough away that anyone visiting would have to have a car. I need to find me some college students! :)

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  2. That is very cool. Hopefully someday I will have a big enough house to be able to be able to host things.

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  3. What a wonderful family you are to provide dinner for that many students EVERY week! Makes me think Idefiant italy not serving enough! And I am so glad they helped you clean!! How fun that all of you have been able to bless each others lives!

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