This past Sunday, in the message the preacher talked about the hospitality of Jesus in feeding the 5000. After the comments on Jesus' hospitality, all I could think of was my grandmother, my mama's mom, or Mawmaw as we called her. She passed away almost 20 years ago. But there are a couple of things that are vivid in my mind still. She was probably the most hospitable woman who ever walked this earth. If you came to her house, it doesn't matter what time of day, and you mentioned that you would hungry, she would cook something for you right away. I can vividly remember sitting at her kitchen table eating a grilled cheese sandwich on wheat bread. I don't know why I remember that it was on wheat bread. But I know that it wasn't breakfast or lunch. She just made it for me because I was hungry. She and my Grandpa raised seven children (two boys and five girls) on very little money at all. They didn't have a bathroom in their house until my mom was 21 years old. My mother was 25 when she had me in 1982 if that puts that comment into perspective. She made clothes for her children as well as herself. She also made aprons, quilts, pillow cases, you name it. Her sewing machine sat in her tiny living room. And goodness did I ever love that sewing machine. Whenever I would visit she would give me a little scrap of cloth so that I could sew on it. Of course it was always a disaster, but she was always kind of gracious as she unwound the thread of her machine.
So what does this have to do with Pyrex, right? Well, I already mentioned how Mawmaw would fix up food if you were hungry. I don't remember a time that I was at her house when there wasn't a Pyrex bowl of something on the table. Maybe some green beans. Maybe a bowl of soup. Maybe some mac and cheese. There was always food. Recently, I've started collecting vintage Pyrex bowls. I've been teased that I'm a hoarder. I've been teased that I've bought all the Pyrex there is. But every time I pick up one of my bowls, whether it's to take a bowl of soup to a potluck or mix up some eggs for an omelet, I think of my Mawmaw. And I think of the impact that her life had on so many people. Of her seven children, six are still living, and they all carry a part of her in them. My mama has Mawmaw's ability to whip up a meal for thirty people in no time flat. My favorite aunt has her disposition. Two of my aunts look just like her. My uncle has her sense of humor. And I hope that I have just a little bit of the hospitality that she always showed to others as well.
When my Mawmaw passed away, people from all over the community brought food to her house for our family for days and days. She had fed them when they were sick, when they had lost loved ones, when they had just come to visit. And they paid her homage by feeding her family during such a painful time in our lives. And I'm pretty sure, most of the bowls were Pyrex.
