Guests

NOW AND AGAIN my husband and I have guests in our home. They may drop by with messages and materials we need, or they may be invited by me in a burst of conviviality. Guests are on my mind today because two of them just left in a flurry of goodbyes. I sent them off with hopes for safe travel as they spun away onto our wide perilous highways.

My home is usually quiet. Children are gone. Neighbors stay silent. We live in a corner of Prescott some distance from busy streets and commerce. The hearty walkers with dogs — and twitters of birds — provide the only activity during the day.  So our occasional guests bring action, chatter and change. They awaken me to the outside world, where people come and go, trucks and buses snort, and critical business happens.

Recently a friend visited whom I hadn’t seen in a very long time. I’d contacted her via the internet, and she came from California to visit me in person after nearly sixty years! She drove over to renew our relationship from days when she was a high-school girl and I a visitor to Catalina Island, where she lived and went to school. She’s a huge personality whom you don’t forget, even after sixty years. Her visit has inspired my thoughts about guests who arrive and bring change and energy. 

Over the years, guests have come to me for different reasons. Several have come for discussion and coffee when we craved some good conversation.  Others have come because of a holiday, and sometimes family  bring their lives for us to witness and enjoy. In past years we had little dinner parties with maybe two guests, but those days have gone with our energy to entertain over several hours. Those dinners were important, though. We took time to talk, sip, and talk some more. We enjoyed faces across a table, and I would light candles. 

Unexpected guests can provide special pleasures. Like the recent visit I had from a student who remembered me from when I was his English teacher years ago. His surprise visit was flattering indeed. I also had an unplanned visit from new neighbors, who appeared suddenly with a bottle of wine. My daughter told me of the time a lady came to her door with religious tracts and ended up holding the new baby so my daughter could rest. 

On the other hand, occasionally an uninvited person appears at my door to save my soul or invite me to vote for a certain candidate. Those visits are awkward and hurried, so I don’t recommend them, but I admire folks who take the energy and time to canvass a neighborhood. 

My son visits twice a year with his big voice and his cooking tools so he can provide a meal for us. He entertains us with comments about food as he takes over the kitchen and creates meals we can serve for days. We have another son who cooks, but he’s moved out of state. When he lived nearby, and came with his partner carrying savory dishes, it was wonderful.

There are the difficult guests, too. When I was single I had an unwelcome visit from a man who made scary advances. I’m also thinking of visits from talkers who stay too long, as if they can’t bear to be alone. Those are the hardest, as I try to stay standing and listening as if a life depended on it. Maybe it does. 

I’ve been a guest myself, of course, as have you, dear reader. The chance to step into someone’s home as a guest is an honor. I’ve friends here who won’t remove their Christmas decorations till we arrive to admire the finery. Another friend accepts me into her home every month to enjoy a cup of tea with another friend, and the three of us have conversations that lift my spirits every time. 

My home lights up when an anticipated guest arrives. A visit from a friend during my hospitalization created hope and cheer that lasted for days. I must add that during my convalescence even the visit from the biweekly nurse — with her concerns and questions — gave me a boost, as if my health mattered. 

When the powerful figures on the national TV news come into my living room, like uninvited guests, I can turn them off if they offend. I watch what I must, but there is one figure I abhor. He is large, blond, and boastful. His speeches are full of exaggerations and lies. He’s an unwelcome guest in my home, and I’m grateful I have the freedom to flip the switch and return my life to the sounds of everyday in Prescott.  

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