By Janet Hommel Mangas
Last Sunday was one of those church sermons with a theatrical illustration that compelled everyone in church to reflect.
So when we had lunch after church we discussed the sermon and the five people we would not invite to our table and the five we would choose to invite to our table.
Interestingly enough the few names that were on the ‘not invited’ list were people who currently or in the past caused emotional pain to the person who named them. While no one had five people that we would not invite to our table — every one of us quickly had in mind at least one person we didn’t want sitting at our table.
The five people we would invite to our table filled up quickly:
Daughter Phoebe listed:
Henri Nouwen
Alexander Hamilton
John Pistole
Chance the Rapper
Frank Sinatra (Phoebe noted Sinatra was there for purely entertainment value, while everyone else delved into the serious matters of life — although Phoebe did mention Sinatra and Chance could create a stellar collaboration.
Her boyfriend and Anderson University student Jacob noted:
J.R.R. Tolkien
Abraham Lincoln
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (Jacob is a biology major)
Israel Nebeker (lead singer for Blind Pilot)
Theodore Roosevelt
My daughter Alex listed:
Condoleezza Rice
Don Miller
John Legend
My husband, Steve, added:
Ajai Lall (Christian preacher and missionary in India)
Jack Mangas (his father)
Russell Mangas (grandfather)
Apostle Paul (we all figured Jesus was a given)
Keith Richards (Rolling Stones). Steve thought it would be quite the table conversation if Keith and Ajai were to meet.
My list included:
Grandma Florence Hommel
Ajai and Indu Lall
Dr. Gary and Leah Johnson
Luther Vandross
As my Grandmother Hommel always did, I would like to think I would set an extra place for whomever might show up unexpectedly — maybe even one of the three people I would not have initially invited.
Merry Christmas, and may there always be room for one more.
Janet Hommel Mangas grew up on the east side of Greenwood. The Center Grove area resident and her husband are the parents of three daughters. Send comments to [email protected].
