Hi First name / friend,

 

Summer is officially in full swing around here.

 

This month included a special family trip to Park City, Utah, with beautiful gardens in bloom, meaningful conversations, and reminders that hospitality isn’t limited to our homes. Sometimes it’s found in the places that welcome us. A business friend of my husband, Scott has been inviting us to their home for a few years and it finally worked out that we were able to go. Now, THAT is true hospitality!!

 

A few of our favorite things we did that the children would especially enjoy were to visit a dairy farm with over 300 cows, toured the Winter Olympic facility, taking a train ride and seeing snow in June!!

🌼🌿 Places That Welcome Us

 

Lately I’ve been thinking about how some places simply make you feel glad you stopped by.

 

A beautiful garden.

A cozy coffee shop.

A little library.

A thoughtful store owner.

A small town post office.

A children’s hospital designed with families in mind.

 

Hospitality isn’t always about inviting people into our homes.

 

Sometimes it’s about creating places that others can feel welcome, wherever that might be! 

 

 

One of the highlights of our recent trip to Park City was discovering this special place.

 

I first came across Park City Gardens on Instagram and immediately added it to my list of places to visit. The photos were beautiful, but somehow the experience was even better in person.

 

What began as a local nursery some 40 years ago, has grown into something much more—a gathering place that includes a boutique, flower barn, greenhouse, garden café, and winding outdoor spaces that invite you to slow down and stay awhile.

 

After grabbing coffee from the Garden Café, we wandered through the greenhouse, explored the boutique, admired the flower barn, and followed a little creek tucked behind the property. It felt less like going out for a morning coffee and more like spending an afternoon somewhere thoughtfully designed to bring people together.

 

As someone who loves beautiful places and meaningful hospitality, I was especially drawn to the way every corner seemed to encourage connection—whether over a cup of coffee, selecting a bouquet of flowers, browsing in their boutique, or a conversation among friends and family.

 

I was absolutely thrilled when they said YES, and decided to carry Simple Hospitality in their shop!!There are some businesses that feel less like a shop and more like a gathering place, and Park City Gardens is certainly one of them. It felt like a natural fit for a book centered on kindness, connection, and creating welcoming spaces.

 

If you find yourself in Park City, I hope you'll stop by and experience it for yourself. Follow them on Instagram: @parkcitygardens  

Visit their website: https://www.parkcitygardens.com

 

📚 Little Libraries & Why They Matter

 

I’m an absolute lover of small town libraries and often peek my head in whenever we travel. The library in Blowing Rock, NC has been a favorite over the years and you can be sure to hear me say to Scott, “do you mind if I run in for a bit?” The library is over 100 years old and the historic ones are my favorites!! 

 

 

While traveling, I also like to discover the Little Free Libraries that you can spot about town.

 

Someone builds it.

Someone stocks it.

Someone maintains it.

 

All so complete strangers can enjoy a good book.

 

That’s hospitality.

 

A gift offered with no expectation of anything in return.

💌 The Humble Post Office

 

This may sound funny, but I’ve always had a soft spot for post offices. 📬

 

Could it be because I love handwritten notes so much?

 

Maybe because every package, card, and letter represents someone thinking of someone else.

 

In a world of quick texts and emails, I still think receiving something in the mail feels special.

 

 

This is the attractive Park City post office. Isn’t it inviting?  

 

 

This is the post office in Valle Crucis, NC and our dear friends, Beth and Blake actually receive their mail here at the historic The Mast Store when they are at their mountain house. 

 

 

Remember how I told you last month about the sweet couple who are in their 90’s that we surprised them and bought their lunch in Hickory, NC? Well, can you believe she went to the trouble of tracking down our address and sent us a hand written thank you note!?

 

 

I imagine that was no easy task, either. They had to try and locate the new shop, My Chapter House @MyChapterHouse  mychapterhouse.com that began carrying my book in Hickory, NC. Not sure exactly how they found our address but for a girl who loves mail and thank you’s…it made my heart happy. :) The wife had been a kindergarten teacher for 30 years and had beautiful penmanship. They even invited us to come see them if we are ever back in town. Talk about hospitality!! :)

 

See…it really does mean something to say THANK YOU! 

 

🌸 Hydrangeas & Hospitality

 

I absolutely love hydrangeas, I mean… how can you not?!? They are such a “happy flower!!”🩵🤍💚

 

Recently I set our dining room table with hydrangeas from our neighbors, Maggie and Greg, that were grown in their garden and I wanted to thank them. I was excited to give her a beautiful hydrangea mug from the Rifle Paper Co. and wrote a thank you note for Maggie (with a pretty hydrangea Rifle Paper notecard!) If you know me, I am obsessed with hydrangeas as well as Rifle Paper Company!!) 

 

 

I love that she sent me a picture of  her gift at her house. It was a beautiful reminder to me that ordinary moments matter.

 

What amazes me most is that they grow these gorgeous hydrangeas right here in Florida! 

 

❤️ A Place Built on Compassion

 

Recently we had the opportunity to take a hard hat tour 👷‍♀️👷🏻‍♂️of Orlando Health’s new Children’s Pavilion.

 

As many of you know, all proceeds from Simple Hospitality will be donated to support children’s healthcare.

 

Walking through the building was a powerful reminder of why I am doing what I am doing with the book. Why I am working so hard. The subject of hospitality and kindness are dear to my heart but the mission of the new children’s pavilion is what motivates me.

 

The thoughtful design, caring staff, and focus on families created something that felt deeply hospitable during what can be some of life’s hardest moments.

 

If you’d like to read more about why this mission matters so much to me from a Giving Tuesday blog post:

 

Hospitality is often associated with our homes.

 

But this month reminded me that hospitality can be found almost anywhere.

 

In a garden.

In a bookstore.

In a coffee shop.

In a hospital.

In a post office.

In a handwritten note.

In a little library.

 

Wherever people create spaces that help others feel welcomed, cared for, and connected.

 

Maybe that’s this month’s invitation:

 

Look for the places that make people feel at home.

 

Then find a way to create one yourself. You can even take hospitality on the road as I talked about in my book!!

 

Excerpt here from Simple Hospitality, Invitation #7: Traveling Kindness

 

Until next time —

 

✨ Will you accept this month’s invitation to spread some simple hospitality?

P.S. Did you know? All proceeds from my book, Simple Hospitality, go directly to support the new Orlando Health Children’s Pavilion—a place of hope, healing, and care for families in our community. Thank you for helping make a difference with every book you gift and share.

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If someone forwarded it to you—welcome! I'm so glad you're here. My name is Jennifer Boyd, and I recently published Simple Hospitality: An Invitation to Add Kindness to Your Everyday Life, a dream 25 years in the making. In both my book and newsletter, I share the heart behind hospitality—simple ways to bring kindness and connection into everyday life.

 

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