Last May I had the opportunity to travel with the Denton Wesley Foundation choir to perform in England. We based out of a little town called Wallingford in Oxfordshire and each stayed with families from the local Anglican Church. Before we left we were told the name of the person we would be staying with and a few activities they were interested in. Our choir director and the choir director at the church in Wallingford had hand picked who would be staying with who based on personality and interests. My husband, James, and I were told we would be staying with Keith— a single man in his fifties who enjoys theatre and rugby. What a combination I thought…theatre and rugby… I didn’t really know what rugby was, and theater…well I only sang in the choir that year so I could go to England if that tells you anything. Wouldn’t a couple of boys be more suited to stay with Keith and us to stay with a young couple with more similar interests?
When we finally arrived in Wallingford all of our hosts met us at the bus in the center of town and we were finally introduced to Keith. He was a big burly white haired man. I guess about what I had pictured. We spent the afternoon driving around Wallingford trying to get to know one another, learn about the city and surrounding areas, and trying not to fall asleep from the jet lag! When we got home we took a nap and when we woke up Keith was preparing a home made 4-course meal for us. It was one of the best meals I have ever eaten! That’s just one more thing to add to Keith’s array of talents—cooking.
Keith seemed reserved at first, as were we I’m sure. But as the week went on he wanted to share more and more of his life with us. One day when we came home he was ecstatic that he had just gotten an Easter card from his grand daughter with a photo of her inside. He had us look at it and showed us photos of his other grand children. We weren’t sure if we were confused about the Easter card or the electric menorah beside the bed stand in our room, but regardless we were interested to hear about Keith’s religious beliefs. As we were discussing the differences between American United Methodists and British Methodists Keith told us that he was not a very religious man and that he was the only host that did not attend the Anglican Church in town. We didn’t delve into theology that day. We simply took each other for who we were.
As days went on and I began to ask Keith about his family he opened up to me and told me that his wife died when his boys were teenagers. He shed a tear and briefly described the difficulty that had been brought upon his family. A few days later I noticed a photo of him and another woman years later. He saw me looking at it and said “We were married for a few years. Turned out we make better friends than a married couple.” Keith, like all of us, has had a lot of heartache and a lot of joys in his life. What makes him so hospitable is that he did not only open his home to us, he also opened his heart. It’s easy to make everything look neat and nice in your home and cook great meals and be a tour guide for a week. But to also open your heart and show love and interest for a stranger to me is what radical hospitality is truly about. Keith was no longer simply a show tune loving, rugby enthusiast to me. He was a close friend who offered me his love and vulnerability.
I hope all of you guys have had a fun and relaxing break! We will start back meeting on Thursday January 27th at 7 p.m. in the Good Treasure’s Bookstore. We’ll have dinner and a study as usual. Bring a friend and some new ideas for the Spring semester!
