Hot water bottles and chocolates...

The kids and I are packing up and heading to Virginia for the Summer. Yippee! We can hardly wait to be surrounded by our family. And Stephanie (my twin sister) and her little tribe are headed in from Okinawa, Japan. Two months into Mark's seven month deployment and we can use a BIG diversion.

While we are away, I have offered the use of our house to a couple of families who are moving. They will need a place to stay while they do their "pack out"s and clean their homes for inspection. I figure that since we won't be here it only makes sense for them to make use of our house...
So...ok, I am my mother's girl. I confess. I have been scrubbing the floors on my hands and knees. I have scoured the bathrooms, cleaned out the closets, and washed all the sheets and blankets. I even had a yard sale today (and made a whopping $9). What's driving me? I pondered amidst the scrubwater. Mark can attest that I am by no means Martha Stewart. I even have a sign in my kitchen that says "My house was clean yesterday, sorry you missed it!" (gratis Stephanie!).
I thought of my mom. Mom shows love through acts of service. Whether its cooking up a southern meal from scratch for twenty people or preparing her house for the white glove test before we visit. And its not like any of us would actually look for dust. When we go home we are just happy to be there. But I have learned that this is Mom's way of saying "I love you. I want you to feel special and cared for". I think I used to take it for granted. But now I notice those efforts. And I see them for what they are. I even find myself emulating my Mom.
When Mark and I lived in Zambia, we kept a tiny one room guesthouse in our back yard. Now, my husband is the consummate Concierge. He LOVES playing host. And since I am the "Mrs" that makes me host-ess. It took me a a few years into our marriage to warm to the role (of hostess!). But in Zambia, Mark took it to a whole new level. He delighted in leaving hot water bottles in our guests' beds and chocolates under their pillows. I got into the act by making a coffee/tea tray in the guesthouse complete with hot pot and mugs. It was fun. And it was special. It was our way to say "We care about you!" to our fellow missionaries. If just for one night we could lift their burdens and make them smile...that was Mark's heart. And it became mine too.
So here I find myself sad that my Summer guests will come and I will not be here to tuck a hot water bottle in their bed and a chocolate under their pillow...sigh...
Well, I can at least clean the house!
I took a break and called Dad...He said mom was outside having a yard sale!