I turned thirty Saturday. We browsed the farmer’s market and my parents took me out for a fabulous supper at a local steakhouse. But my fellow fantasy nerd friend, Hunter, and I had a joint Hobbit-style 30th birthday party back in July. Before I go further, it cannot be understated what it means to have a spouse who will not just tolerate, but participate in this level of whimsy. My husband, Reece, and Hunter’s wife, Bethany, are just the best.
I dressed up as the hobbit, Rosie Cotton, and Reece donned a pair of green velvet tights as Peter Pan (yes, I will post a picture at the bottom.) Hunter roasted in the July heat as Gandalf, and Bethany looked ethereal as Galadriel. We sang karaoke very poorly and drank Guinness with our closest friends and family while all the kids ran around the farm fighting off dragons with plastic swords. It was my dream come true, and the perfect party to end our season of hosting parties in our hometown.
Reece and I believe deeply that hosting parties is a sort of calling for our family. We are extreme extroverts, so in general, we like having people in our home. But regular parties, taco nights, barbecues, etc., mean more than mere entertainment, a distraction from daily drudgery. They are encounters with hope. I have seen people come to belief in God, meet the future Godparents of their children, and find a haven from this often cruel world in a potluck taco night. There is tremendous hope to be found in a group of people pausing their lives to toast to life as it is, in the midst of soccer season, job transitions, births and deaths. We were made for more, and tacos, Lenten soups, and Chianti are a taste of what is to come.
Or next Bar-Side Chat on Oneness Pentecostalism is two weeks away! As I am now social media free, I will not be posting in the Facebook group. I am trying to figure out how to still use Messenger to send the group updates, but we will see how that works. If you know of someone who you would like to know when our chats are or you would like to invite someone, pass this newsletter along!
Here is the promised Anglican trip with Select International Tours, hosted by the amazing writer,
There are only one or two spots left!My something good this week: my kids have decided to collect all the names of the neighborhood pets and pray for them one by one. It is as adorable as you think.
Our cat, Moses. He is the varmint-killing guardian of our home and a snuggling comfort when we need him to be. He is loving roaming our new neighborhood.
I’ll leave you with this quote from Mother Theresa: “We are afraid of the future, because we are wasting the preset moment.” Think on that, put your phone away, and look outside.
Cheers to the leaves starting to fall,
Bond
P.S. Here is Reece as Peter Pan