Dinner Guest #12 - The G Family

They’re not complete strangers, but pretty close.

I’ve never actually had a conversation with anyone in the G family, but I invited them to dinner anyway.  It sounds risky, but really, how bad could it be?

I knew this much:

Each Sunday, Mr. and Mrs. G. take care of my son Rock and an entire pack of three year olds for two long hours at church.  At the end of the two hours, Mr. and Mrs. G. are still smiling, and Rock comes home happily clutching a picture of Jesus he colored.  I know I couldn’t do it.  That many three year olds would drive me nuts.  People who show extraordinary patience and caring toward children are generally my instant heroes.

To learn a little more about the G family before the dinner, I googled their names.  Expecting nothing but dead-end websites, I was surprised to find Mrs. G. has a store on Etsy and she makes the most amazing folding fabric kitchens and doll houses.  She’s crafty in a cool, stylish, creative way.  Embarrassed to tell Mrs. G. about my google spying, I mentioned it anyway because I wanted more details on her shop.

Over dinner, I learned both Mr. and Mrs. G. are from small towns in Idaho, both are pharmacists, and they met each other at a church singles group.  They have two children, one girl and one boy.  Their daughter spent most of the night playing with Kate’s Barbies.  Their son jabbered away saying, “ARRGH!” as he played with Jack’s pirate ships. 

I made my usual dishes:   heavenly chicken over pasta, sweet potato casserole, green beans, rolls, strawberries and grapes.  For the first time, I was tired of eating my own cooking!  I don’t want to see heavenly chicken or sweet potato casserole on my plate for a long time.  Next week, I'm branching out to some unchartered international cuisine.  Mrs. G. brought some delicious cheesecakes from The Cheesecake Factory and all of our children walked around the house with smeared, chocolate mustaches and beards.

I’m glad I took a leap and invited the G family to dinner.  I’ve now had long conversations with Mr. and Mrs. G. and found they are just as I suspected:  kind, intelligent, genuine people who work hard and love their children. 

Both of G. kids cried at the end of the night because they didn’t want to leave.  Aside from “Thanks for dinner, ” I think that’s the best compliment you can get from a guest.