Friday, November 26, 2010

The dining room table

Three years ago around Passover time we had a table. It had been part of the family for about 15 years. Not bad for a cheep piece of furniture. The chairs had all died years ago, but the table was still with us. It only sat six, and tight at that. And if you had six, you couldn't put any food on the table. Once a month we had to go underneath and tighten all the screw so it wouldn't wobble and squeak. But it did its job. Til one day, after being a support for Cirque de My Kidos, it broke. Two legs just plain cracked off. Splinters of wood went everywhere.
Now what made that so tragic is that I had invited two other families over for a Passover Seder. As it was, seating was going to be interesting, but now I had a dilemma. I had wanted a new table for years, but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. I didn't want to spend the money on anything but the perfect table. So I went shopping, hitting every furniture store in the area. Nothing was priced right or was sturdy enough for my family. Just as I was ready to go get a bunch of Costco folding tables, I found it. As I was pumping gas, I saw a store I had never noticed before and there in the window, on sale yet, was the perfect table. It sits ten comfortably. There is plenty of room for food on the table. The only bad thing is the chairs seats are fabric and with my crew, didn't take long to get dirty.
It has been a great blessing. Now that we have a table that fits us all, we all eat meals together a lot more often. There are lots of studies saying how good this is for kids and families. I know for us, it is a great time to be together. We get to entertain a bit more. This Thanksgiving was a perfect example.
My oldest came with mom in law and announced once he was here (a half hour before dinner) that his brother was going to be joining us. Mike had spent a lot of time with us when he was younger and is a part of our family too. All I did was add another setting to the table, there was plenty of room. There is always plenty of food around here, so that wasn't a problem either. It was wonderful having all of my little family here. Watching them laugh and share and eat around my table is a total blessing. Thank You God for an awesome family, a holiday to come together and bless You, joy and happiness, a full heart, and a table big enough for us all.

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