My son Max and I are on an incredible spring break adventure in sunny Sarasota, FL. Our family lives on a pastor's salary, so out of necessity we are taking this trip "on a shoestring," relying on the hospitality of friends and even strangers.
We could not have made a better decision, even if we had the money to stay in nice hotels on the beach.
If we had not decided to lean on the gift of hospitality, we would not have been able to reconnect with the Lovelady's, a family that meant so much to my wife and I when we attended college.
We would not have met Richard and Veronica, a British couple that opened their home to us in Sarasota. We had never even met "Rich and Veron" before this trip. Our stay with them was arranged by a friend-of-a-friend, but it made no difference. They took us in like family and I ended up sipping red wine with Richard last night and watching his favorite soccer team, Manchester United, defeat Marseilles on television.
And we would not be reconnecting with old friends from my hometown in Pennsylvania. It will be so much fun to reconnect with Rob and Melissa in St. Petersburg, and for my 14-year-old son meet their teenaged daughter who used to play in the church nursery with him when he was a toddler.
Hospitality is a gift of God, and we are enjoying the fruits of this gift on this special trip.
We could have holed up in a La Quinta or Quality Inn for the whole trip, but I know we have made the right decision in leaning on friends and the spirit of hospitality to provide for a fun, less-expensive, and much more meaningful trip.
Thanks be to God.
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