At the Table

The dinner table is a pretty special place in a family's home. I was reminded of this thought during this past weekend.

My family had the opportunity to spend time in the house my grandparents lived in for 41 years. It has been beautifully converted into a bed and breakfast and will continue to be a place where people are welcomed and memories are made for years. I spent a lot of time in that house as I grew up and it is a precious place to me. The new owner has been so kind and gracious to my family, honoring that this was home to them. On Saturday, she invited us to visit the house and share a breakfast. We enjoyed touring the home and the food was delicious but what was the most special happened after breakfast. The owner of the home was curious about the house's and family's history so the family spent time around the table sharing memories. I love to hear my family tell stories, there are wonderful story tellers in the group, but what I really enjoyed was thinking back to the hours I have spent in that house around the table listening to stories. We enjoyed Sunday afternoon lunches, holiday meals and other meals "just because" in that home and no time around the table ended just because we finished eating. Rather, we sat there for a long time afterwards just talking...like they did on Saturday morning. Someone always said, "lets go sit somewhere more comfortable" but it would take awhile before we moved. The dining room table is now in a different room, but the stories were still there. I really missed Meme that morning, knowing she would have loved being in the middle of it (and probably telling us a story she'd told us a hundred times...but I would give anything to hear them one more time).

Right now it is pretty difficult to have a peaceful mealtime with a 16 month old. But, Saturday morning reinforced to me the importance of making it work. I want years for our family of spending extra time at the table, just because we enjoyed being together.

Look Ahead

Tonight the three of us were driving home as the sun was setting in the direction we were heading. I love sunsets, clouds and pretty skies and my husband, knowing this, does a good job of appreciating those with me. Tonight's sunset made the clouds pretty shades of pink and orange and as we were admiring them, my husband invited our son to look at the sky. He encouraged J to look forward, pointing and using a tone that indicated that what he would see would be pretty neat. Now, we were driving on the interstate with lots going on around and in front of us so a 16 month old in the back seat was probably not going to recognize that his daddy was pointing out a sunset. But, J immediately got wide-eyed and smiled and said "ohhh" like it was absolutely amazing what he was seeing. I looked at my husband and said "now that is trust." J probably had no idea what he was looking towards but because his daddy told him it was great, he completely believed it.

I wish I had that reaction when God was pointing out a direction to me. Even if I'm not sure what I'm looking at, that I would get wide eyed and excited just because my Father said it would be great.

"Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told."

Habakkuk 1:5