The Kitchen Table

The greatest memories are made around the kitchen table

 

When I was growing up, the center of our home was the kitchen table.  My family gathered there for all of our meals.  The highlights of our days were shared, birthdays were celebrated there, and family discussions were had at that table.  This table was not fancy, but it was sturdy.  It was strong enough to support the weight of our daily meals, and the heft of our Holiday meals as well.  It was a witness to time passing by, and to hear the conversations of our family.  It was always there to welcome friends and visitors to a meal in our home.

 

This simple piece of furniture was the cornerstone of our family in many ways.  I played games there with my siblings, my family laughed there and sometimes cried there as well.  Many hours of homework were done while sitting at this table.  Contracts were signed there, as well as bills that were paid.  This little table could spill many secrets if it could talk.  But most of all, this table was a witness to many memories that were made there by my family.

 

At times, I ache with longing to go back to those times when life seemed simpler.  I miss the time spent with my siblings and my parents.  And especially those conversations we had that when I was young, sometimes seemed boring.  But I now think about that time and the bonds that I share with my siblings that were formed around that table.  It is a bond I still share with them to this day.

 

Today, a lot of homes don’t even have kitchen tables anymore.  We eat our food in a car, in a hurry, and don’t think about sitting down and having a conversation while eating a meal.  People are often so engrossed in their phones that they don’t even talk to who is sitting across the table from them.  The importance of the kitchen table has shrunk drastically in its significance. Even in my own home, it has become rare that we are all home to share a meal together. 

 

But the times that we do sit down together, I cherish.  I have learned that in this life we must be grateful for the simple everyday times that we often take for granted.  For we never know when we might have an empty place at our kitchen table that will be permanent.  Today I encourage you to put down that phone when you are sitting at the table.  Look the people you care about in the eyes and really connect with them.  Laugh with them while there is the opportunity to have good times with each other.  Love them while they are with you.  Make a lasting memory while you are sitting at your kitchen table.