Visitors passing through

Is there room? Will you be around?

With these two simple questions, another opportunity was presented to me this morning. The questions came from a confrere who is taking some time to travel and to visit with various friends and aquaintances. He's passing through later today, and has asked whether he can leave his car here, while he travels courtesy of public transportation throughout the province.

Of course I answered positively, for courtesies such as this, done for one another out of love is what it's all about.

As he arrived this afternoon, I couldn't help remembering anther time in history when I myself was 'passing through' another city, and called upon a confrere, who up until that time I had not met. I was impressed first by his open invitation to come by, to stay the night and then to carry on with the journey. When we arrived, we discovered that the house was in disarray, thanks to the fact that there were renovations in progress, but this did not stop him from offering both his own room and another guest room for our comfort. What's more, we arrived at a very late hour, and he was there waiting for us, with a drink to quench our thirst and a bed to rest our weary bones.

Even before we arose the next morning (after a very short sleep, in defference to the distance that still lay ahead of us on the road), he himself was up, preparing breakfast and tending to his vegetable garden.

Memories of hospitality such as this go a long way. Perhaps we cannot ask such heroic acts of total strangers, but we should always be willing to go the extra mile to make the stranger welcome, to exercise the hospitality that we ourselves would hope for.

In gratitude to those who have taught us how to exercise welcome, and in anticipation of occasions when we can welcome the travellers who need a place to stay, before carrying on their way to adventures yet to be unfolded.