Slowing things down for a visit

Tonight we had dinner in the backyard, the culmination of a week-long visit from my boyfriend's sister's husband's father. I know that was a pretty long string of people that I listed there, but it isn't really that complicated... the dad of one of my house-mates was up from Georgia and stayed with us for a while. And it was a pure pleasure. This man has such a quiet way about him, but he is filled with such wisdom and patience. When I was talking with him, I found myself immediately calming down... it was quite strange actually how consistent that feeling was over the course of the week. He had interesting stories that took a while to tell, but I found myself fascinated every time. And his kindness was so honest and genuine. He spent his time here visiting with his family, of course, but also found time to do things like trim the rose bush out front and fix a car in the driveway that needed repairs. And when he wasn't doing any of the above, he was perfectly content sitting in the rocking chair by the front door, smoking his cigarette, and taking in nature.

So tonight, the night before he was set to leave, we had a wonderfully delicious dinner: barbequed pork chops (which we all learned that if you boil them beforehand for about 20 minutes, they barbeque quicker and stay juicier), green salad, roasted corn (don't get me started again about roasted corn), and wine. Between 3 of the 5 of us, we polished off an extra-large bottle of some tasty, tasty wine. And not that I'm going around promoting alcohol or anything, but I have to say, there is something special about sitting outside on a beautiful summer night at a picnic table in a rather large backyard with really cool tiki torches nearby setting the mood, eating a delicious meal, and sharing a bottle of wine. Something about the slowness of a glass of wine... it just makes you want to linger and talk all night.

It was a good night- and a good week. I got to meet someone really cool and I got to watch as a father and son re-connected and a daughter-in-law and father-in-law got to know each other even better. It was wonderful all around. Thank goodness for opportunities like this.