i just wanna share this with you guys.

SHARING LIFE

DEEP IN OUR SOULS, WE ALL NEED

THE ENCOURAGEMENT AND

SUPPORT OF OTHERS.

The friends who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion,

who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can

tolerate not knowing, not cursing, not healing and face with us the reality

of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.

-HENRI NOUWEN

Something Special in the Dining Room

-JOANNE SCHULTE

I could never have imagined how special my luncheon would turn out to be,

but i knew it would be diiferentt from all i had hosted previously, and i wondered why.

Each of the "young at heart"senior lady on the guest list thanked me for

her invitation and said how much she was looking forward to the day.

Although i often entertain, for some reason i was anticipant this event more

than most.

When the guests arrived, my house was sparkling clean, and everything

about to said, "Welcome ." Beutiful china and home grown flowers adorned

the table while food waited in the kitchen for the perfectmoment to be served.

The chatter of the ladies filled my dinning room like a ray of sunshine.

Sometmes i would interject a question od comment, but mostly i basked in the

pleasure of listening to them talk-getting to know them better in the process.

I wonder why i had waited so long to have this luncheon.

Because they were good friends, my guests felt free to talk about the physical

and emomtional pains they were experiencing, and i realized their beautiful,

smiling faces masked hurting hearts and bodies. However, this was not a pity

party i was winessing, but a sharing of common experience, a boning of

lives. From time to time heads nodded as if to say, "i understand." And now

and then someone would use her handkerchief to wipe away a tear. It would

have been diificult to say anything with the lump in my throat, but nothing

needed to be said just now.

After a long pause, one woman bowed her head and prayed out loud for the

cares and concerns that had just been expresseed. She prayed for only a few

moments, but what a difference those few moments made. Time was

suspended. Eyes did not open nor did heads look up right away. No one

spoke for quite a while, but the looks on their faces said their problems already

seemed easier to handle. Their eyes were full of thankfulness and hop. It had

been a special moment.

They semmed hesitant to leave, but as they did, each lady hugged me and

thanked me-expressing once again just how muchs he had enjoyed the

luncheon.

After i said good-bye to the last guest, i deliberately paused to let the warm

glow from the luncheon linger in my thoughts. I doubted any luncheon could

ever surpass this one. Those lovely ladies had been my guests. But because i

enjoyed them so much, i had the strangest feeling i had been their guest for

something special in the dinning room-along with Someone very special

indeed.