On the morning of the wedding, Julia and I were just waking up when we heard a voice from outside the window calling out, “Hello! Hello!” In Belize, it’s not uncommon to have peddlers come by to sell their goods. “Probably people coming through to sell produce or bottled water,” I told myself.
Then it came again. Upon opening the door, I was amazed to see Rhoda, the sweet, busy lady who was looking after a hundred things for the wedding. There she stood, holding a bowl of tree-ripened mangoes and avocados, all sliced up and ready to eat. I blinked in wonder at her genuine hospitality. I could have come up with an entire list of reasons she would have been too busy to do this for us on the morning of the wedding. My motivation for hospitality went up several notches after experiencing it firsthand in this way!
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Gloria Yoder is the third writer of The Amish Cook column since its inception in 1991.
Dining and Cooking