"So those servants...

...went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the ...hall was filled with guests." (Matthew 22:10)

My brother, his fiancee, and her parents came to the island yesterday. We expected them to stay for dinner, but they had to leave at 4:30. Ocracoke is such an informal place that we just invited several friends at the last minute, and by 6 o'clock we had a table covered with delicious food, and surrounded by family and friends.

I joked that the situation was like the parabolical king in the bible who gave a marriage feast for his son, and when the guests declined to come, sent his servants into the thoroughfares to invite as many as they could find. I leave it to the guests to decide if they were "bad" or "good."

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter celebrates colorful islander Don Wood (1936-1998). You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042610.htm.