Summary: We stood in Mrs. Trieschmann's kitchen. Martha was in charge of seasoning the chicken. I was on green bean duty. It was the spring of our junior year of high school, and we decided to throw a dinner party. All of our friends were invited and we were giddy with anticipation. The table was set with Mrs. Trieschmann's finest china and delicate crystal. Flowers from the yard, in beautiful Georgia bloom, had been arranged; and we had even employed Martha's younger sister, Catherine, to be our server for the night. All that remained was the guests' arrival and the plating of the meal. Guiding us along the way, helping us and teaching us as we went, was Martha's mom, Mrs. Trieschmann, who was and forever will be in my mind a cross between Martha Stewart and Donna Reed. Mrs. Trieschmann helped us, not hovering, but rather offering guidance and direction when we needed it, making space for us to learn and giving us a map for how to make this meal something other than every day, how to make it extraordinary. I think back to that time in her kitchen. Mrs. Trieschmann was teaching us about how generous hospitality, both given and received, is one of life's greatest gifts. Over the years I've come to understand that generous hospitality, that dinner parties, are also at the core of our Christian faith. Sharing food, sharing bread, sharing with one another, all of this is at the heart of what Jesus taught and how we, as a Church, have been charged to respond.
