On Thursday, last week, a number of us "Mennonite Girls" had the joy of following up on a beautiful invitation put out by Kathy's mother-in-law. It was a lunch party put on for no other reason than to honor her daughter-in-law. Who does this? I came away inspired!
This was the first time I met Eileen and her husband Bill.
They both greeted us at the door with such a warm and excited welcome
one could not help but be drawn into the warmth and beauty of their home.
I could tell this has been a way of life for them.
Eileen started us off with a toast to Kathy
by high-lighting the lovely characteristics she saw in her
and blessing her with a verse.
Someone had to hand Kathy a tissue . . .
The stemware that was brought out for this special day
was over 100 years old, passed down in the family.
We were careful in our clinking.
The chairs were tied with sashes Eileen made for this day.
and not a detail was missed on the Victorian style table setting.
From stems of lavender tucked into our napkin rings
to garden roses adorning candelabras
and petals strewn about candle stands with crystal pendants.
It was a table set for a queen!
After our delicious chilled raspberry soup, we filed into the kitchen to help ourselves to a variety of jello salads, fruit, vegetables and a savory sandwich loaf.
Have you ever had a sandwich loaf like this?
I believe they were popular to serve at showers in the 70's.
A loaf of bread is sliced horizontally and filled with a variety of fillings . . .
eaten with a fork like a slice of cake.
You could see her husband was proud of her, and rightly so, when
he said to me, "Ukrainian girls can cook too!"
For dessert we were spoiled with individual meringues topped with a custard and berries.
We were all spoiled on behalf of our sister/friend, Kathy
. . . acknowledged for being
Kind, Accepting. Talkative, Hard working and Youthful
. . . among other wonderful things . . .
I came away encouraged by a woman who has decided
she is not too old to put out this kind of effort to
. . . acknowledged for being
Kind, Accepting. Talkative, Hard working and Youthful
. . . among other wonderful things . . .
I came away encouraged by a woman who has decided
she is not too old to put out this kind of effort to
give of her time and gifts for the pure joy of blessing!
8 comments:
What a delightful event! Such a special way to honor a special woman. The table, the food, everything looked beautiful. That's the kind of MIL I want to be!
It really was an inspiration to watch and see Bill and Eileen at work! Lovely post Anneliese!
I peek into your post every once and a while and am always touched so by your words.
It was most special...and you documented the luncheon so beautifully!
It is so nice to remember that beautiful lunch here. What a wonderful day it was. You described it just beautifully.
Oh how absolutely lovely! What a wonderful way to honour Kathy - her daughter-in-law. Your pictures are beautiful and it's ALWAYS so nice to "see" everyone. The food looked amazing. This post has inspired me to be more hospitable. A Ladies luncheon must be put on my agenda this summer!
What a blessing and inspiration this dear lady provided for me! I love the care and love she put into the meal, and the purpose with why she did it. I felt like I was there, in the detailed way that you shared this meal. Thanks so much for giving us a glimpse into the event, and for the emotion you shared too. Hospitality is truly a gift from our God, to help make our lives enjoyable. Kathy had to have felt honored.
This was a beautiful event...and too, totally inspiring.....thank you for portraying this beautiful event that has left all of us motivated in how we treat our guests.
Post a Comment