Two years ago I was talking to a good friend of mine after Thanksgiving. Both her sons had been home for a true family dinner. Her husband said to her, "You're happiest when everybody's feet are under the table." I love that.
We had such a meal this evening, although Labor Day week-end seems an unlikely family holiday. These days I appreciate any time we can all be together, and tonight it worked out that everyone could be here for dinner.
Everybody's feet under the table ~ time enough to sit down and share a meal. Dinner time ~ traditionally the time our family spent together to talk about the events of the day.
Even now, whether there are two of us or five of us, we sit down together for dinner, a meal loosely defined by anything from frozen pizza to meatloaf and potatoes. While the ingredients of the meal matter more some nights than others, the most important thing is to be at the table to eat at the same time. Some days it is the only time I see my youngest son, who currently lives at home while he works at a co-op through the fall semester.
It's a bonus for all of us to be at the table these days, and it's something that happens only a few times a year. I've learned to celebrate the times we do have together instead of bemoaning all of the times we don't.
Time spent at the kitchen table is time to connect, time to catch up on all that's happened since the last time we were together. There is no better way to make an occasion special than to have everybody's feet under the table.
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2 comments:
Sharon, I couldn't agree with you more; having everyone gathered around the table for a meal is so sweet that what you eat matters little. I absolutely cherish those times; especially when it's the nuclear family. Reminds me of days past when I didn't give it a second thought. Now...so special.
"A happy family is but an earlier heaven."
~ George Bernard Shaw
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