Invitation #37: Host a Gratitude Party
With it being Fall, my favorite time of the year, I wanted to share a fall party idea and excerpt from my book, “Simple Hospitality: An Invitation to Add Kindness to Your Everyday Life.” I hope you enjoy it!!
Ten years ago, I noticed some pain in my ankle that continued to get worse over time. I hoped it was nothing. After several consultations with a few doctors, including those at the Mayo Clinic, I learned that I needed full ankle reconstruction. As I learned about the long fourteen-week recovery period, I envisioned months of watching television and reading books and magazines and felt discouraged about the coming months.
A few days before surgery, I asked myself, “How can I make the most of this time?” I made a conscious decision that I would look for the good in the situation. Being positive isn't pretending everything is good. It is choosing to look for the good in everything. I knew I would need to sit and rest a lot, but the doctor never mentioned anything about sitting and watching TV alone. I thought, I don’t want to just get through this. I’m going to try my best to make something good come from it! So, right then and there, I decided to spend time with people who meant the most to me. I invited about 20 friends to have lunch with me over the next few months. I began to look at it as a true, unexpected gift of time. My in-laws, Bob and Elle Boyd, stayed with us for the first two weeks. What a blessing they were. Elle had been a nurse and knew just what to do. I fell in love with my husband even more as he lovingly cared for me. Our children were attentive, even though they were in college out of state. Our in-town daughter was wonderful and caring.
After the surgery, the special lunches began! My friends showed up with smiles, caring attitudes, and gifts. Most of all, they just showed up! They sat with me and laughed and took my mind off my painful ankle. I took a picture with each friend and family member to commemorate our day, and it truly ended up being a special and sweet time. People went above and beyond to show kindness to me during this time, and I wanted to thank them for their love and support.
Many sweet friends & family came to see me after my surgery - I wanted to take a picture with each one to remember their kindness (this isn’t even everyone!!)
After I made a full recovery, I tried to think of the best way to thank everyone. I decided to have a Thankfulness party, and just called it a Fall Gathering of Friends. I invited each friend who had encouraged me during that time. I decorated the house for fall, which just happens to be my favorite time of the year! I also gave each friend a photo of the two of us and let her know how much she meant to me. That photo was tucked inside a thank you card.
That Fall Gathering was such a hit that I have done that a few more times. Now, it is not just a time to thank my friends for their role in my recovery but a time for us all to stop and show gratitude for friendships, new and old. Maybe you have heard the poem by Joseph Parry, “Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.”
“Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.”
If you begin a Thankfulness Party, you never know what might happen! Maybe it will become a tradition. Maybe you will give your friends time for gratitude and for connecting with old and new friends. It can become a full circle of hospitality for you as well!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, or invitation as I like to call them, from my book! If you’d like to read more you can purchase it here. Happy Fall! And I hope you start a gratitude party tradition of your own.
