Repost: Hospitality

Hospitality is a Character!!!

Hospitality refers to the relationship process between a guest and a host, and it also refers to the act or practice of being hospitable, that is, the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, with liberality and goodwill. Hospitality frequently refers to the hospitality industry jobs for hotels, restaurants, casinos, catering, resorts, clubs and any other service position that deals with tourists.
Hospitality is also known as the act of generously providing care and kindness to whomever is in need.
Today , I was shown Hospitality. OK. It sounds simple. But its ironic that it happened today.

On Sunday, The sermon was about "Christ-centered Hospitality" my Church, St. Luke's. Our Pastor, Jenn, gave several examples. Today's hospitality conjures images of throwing good parties, gracious hosts entertaining, etiquette, Martha Stewart or even talk shows, or, the hospitality services industry as it relates to the entertainment and tourism business. On the other hand, hospitality used to be, and still is, a serious duty, responsibility, or ethic. Hospitality ethics is a discipline that studies this usage of hospitality.

The sermon awesome. Not to "toot my own horn", but I try to do that. If I learned anything from my Godmother and mother, it's to be hospitable to anyone and everyone.

But today, I was shown what Hospitality is truly about. I came into work. Very tired. I had work a double the day before. My show requires 2 people. Well today, the person who was suppose to come in, called out. No one else would come in to replace them.( Although, it would have been overtime.)
There is was. 7:30 AM. Tired. Not feeling well. In pain because of the cold. This would have required me to do a 2 person show with 700 hundred guest to entertain. To say the least, I was worried!
The people I work with, who have additional responsibilities, stepped up to the plate and helped me. I didn't even ask them. They just saw the need and helped. They Did what Christ would have done. They put there own jobs on the line. They weren't thinking about themselves, they were thinking about helping someone else and making sure that everyone would enjoy themselves.

Today, in a place where I MUST show hospitality and very rare am shown that same hospitality that I give out, I was shown true "Christ-centered Hospitality".

I've been questioning something about my job. Am I liked? Do people care about what I give? Is this where I'm suppose to be? Should I leave?

Because of the hospitality of those people, All of these questions have been answered. Today, they were my "Bridge over troubled water"

Thanks to all of you that were there for me today. [Image]
I know you guys have got my back. LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!

Regards,

Antony

http://antonylarry.blogspot.com/

The Leader of the band, Mr JC

All this week I have been thinking about  my dad, Mr. JC. (That's what everyone called him around town). He was a true man. 6'0 tall, skinny as pole,  always had a cigarette in his mouth. His father was black, his mother Cherokee indian which made his skin a beautiful mahogany shade of brown. He always had a 5'o clock shadow!

  When I was 5 years old, he became my goddaddy and low and behold, he and my Godmother, Shirley, adopted me when I was 7 or 8, he and Shirley adopted me and made me there son. 

 Getting to know JC was very interested. He was a tall man in stature and had a vocabulary that would make a sailor blush! Let's just say that I have heard a swear word that describes doing something to your mother that no son would ever do, many times.(If i'm not careful, it easily becomes part of my vocabulary!). When I was in trouble, I would rather be beaten with a wire hanger than have to hear what goddaddy was gonna say. He never berated me but I knew what he expected of me. In just a few words, he could sum up what 50 "whoopins" would not. 

  One of my earliest memories of goddaddy( my daddy, Mr. JC) was of him going to the pantry, taking out a bottle of homemade Cane Syrup that his best friend, John, brought over (by the box load I might add) from his family and sitting it on the table. My Godmother would then give him a dinner plate from the cabinet along with the "Butt bread"(the ends of a loaf of bread). He poured the Cane Syrup on the plate and then scooped it onto the butt bread until he had sopped up every last bit of that syrup! He called it S(short for another four letter word that rhythms with spit) on shingle.

 Fast-forward 5 or so years ago when I discovered the internet. One night, I decided to "google" S on a shingle. All I could find for that named was Chipped beef. What Godaddy ate was definitely NOT chipped beef. When I approached him about it, he and I had a debate about why they call chipped beef "S on a shingle" and it ended like most other debates he and I had: He laughed that hearty, deep masculine laughed that he always did and said "Boy, I just call it that. It's what I like. Ok? You can call it what you want but it's mine and I like calling it that, ok?". I would reply "Yes sir" and then return to my room defeated.

 Looking back, He was giving me a simple message. He didn't care what anyone else called this unsual dish. It was his dish and he would call it what he wanted whether anyone else liked it or not. Years later, he told spoke words that, to this day, bring tears to my eyes. This 80 year old man who loved me despite his personal feelings about my lifestyle said "You are Antony, (insert bad word decribed earlier). Be you now matter what anybody says. I don't give a goddarn(r=m) what they say!". 

  Who knew a simple piece of bread and some syrup could be the key to living life.
Love and miss my daddy, Mr. JC.