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One word. Five minutes to write about it. This is the idea behind Five Minute Friday and this is also part of the 10 Day Writing Prompt Challenge from Five Minute Friday. From March 2nd to March 11th, those of us who are taking part are aiming to write for five minutes each day on this set of prompts. This is what I wrote on Friday, Day Five, prompted by the word "table". I confess I spent a bit longer than five minutes because I got on a bit of a roll, since this word turned out to be very near and dear to me.
come to the table
time to set the table
take your stuff off the table
Can't count the number of times over the years I've said (hollered, texted, messaged, whatever) those phrases. So many times. And though I get tired of getting people to sit down to dinner or to do the related chores, I love gathering around the table.
I bought a second hand dining room table and chairs shortly after we moved into this house, so that my old kitchen table could go in the "schoolroom". And we did do school in that room for awhile, but invariably we wound up in the dining room at that table. Years of school (and messes and memories) at that table.
No more homeschooling here, but Kennady still sits there with her laptop working on college homework. And that's where I prefer to spread out my schoolbooks and grade papers or prepare lessons for my co-op classes.
We sometimes played games at the table, especially when my parents were visiting, and sometimes when friends came over.
Craft projects, sewing, extra space when baking, wrapping gifts - all at the table.
Many times we've sat around that table and just visited. Just a couple of us or the whole family plus guests.
But boy, that table has been the center of so many meals. Our family has sat down to dinner together a majority of evenings every week for as long as we've lived here. I'm not going to do the math, but it seems like it would be a lot. We've had so many friends join us for dinner. Family members have come to visit. And if you follow my blog, you might remember me talking about my auxiliary kids that are always welcome at our table. Whether it's just a weeknight dinner or a holiday gathering, two or three of us or a bigger crowd, that table is the center of activity.
I've heard sayings about the hearth being the center of the home, but it seems like maybe the table is the heart of the home and the family. Sure seems that way in our home. A place where we come together for meals, of course. A place where everyone is likely to be asked about their day, and where everyone can tell a story. A place where there is a lot of laughter. A place to practice hospitality and fellowship. A place where we will make room for whoever wants to join us.
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Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in the inner rooms of your house; your children will be like olive branches, as they sit all around your table. ~Psalm 128:3
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The dinner table is the center for the teaching and practicing not just of table manners but of conversation, consideration, tolerance, family feeling, and just about all the other accomplishments of polite society except the minuet. ~Judith Martin
This post is linked at Five Minute Friday for the word prompt "table".
This post is also linked at Scripture and a Snapshot hosted by Just A Second, and at Sunday Scripture Blessings, hosted by Peabea's Photos and Scribbles.
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6 comments:
A good table gets used so well doesn't it?
Tables just seem to mean family - whatever your family size or style! So many wonderful purposes...and memories!!
"I've heard sayings about the hearth being the center of the home, but it seems like maybe the table is the heart of the home and the family.."
And you're so right. Loved the pics and grace with which you've grown your home.🌻
FMF neighbor, stay blest!
I loved the Bob Keeshan quote as it reminded me of watching his TV show (Capt. Kangaroo) when I was a young kid :)
What a fun reflection.
I worked at my dining room table when my kids were small because it gave me a view of the whole downstairs and the upstairs landing. Maybe that's why I still like to sit there when I'm writing or studying.
If this tabletop could speak,
the stories it might tell
of the whiskey jug that sprung a leak,
of the Jell-O that refused to gel.
And what about the fabled casserole
that became the fodder for the hogs,
and the warmly brimming soup-bowls
that were licked clean by the dogs
while our backs had been turned
attending to the Christmas turkey
that had just, alas, been burned
but yielded turkey jerky.
Silence may be a better path;
it would be weird to hear a table laugh.
#1 at FMF this week
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