09/06/2026
A Facebook memory today reminded me of a season from 4 years ago when our family unexpectedly experienced kindness and hospitality during one of our most uncertain periods.
Back then, my husband had just lost his long-time job, and we were navigating many unknowns emotionally and financially as a family.
During that season, our neighbour unexpectedly asked whether we could help petsit while she travelled overseas for work. We welcomed the opportunity because honestly, we needed income then.
Not long after that was also going to be our elder son’s birthday. Every year, we would go for a simple family staycation. But that year, after searching for the most budget-friendly option possible, I told him we would only go for 1 night.
I still remember him innocently asking,
“Why not 2 nights?”
My heart quietly sank.
And I remember having this silent thought in my heart:
“If only someone could bless us with a staycation.”
Sometime later while chatting, our neighbour casually asked whether we had any travel plans now that borders were reopening. We shared about our elder son’s birthday staycation, and she thoughtfully offered us some complimentary hotel stays she had available.
Looking back now, I realise it was never really about the hotels themselves.
It was about what rest, care and hospitality meant to us emotionally during one of our family’s most uncertain seasons.
Perhaps part of why hospitality matters so much to us today through Nomad Haven is because we once experienced firsthand how meaningful a simple place of rest can become for someone walking through uncertainty.
Sometimes small acts of kindness leave deeper imprints on people than we realise.
