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Blog: It's good to be back!
 Take It To The Table!
Imagine the following scene: The family has returned home after a long day. Mom and dad have been very busy at work, either at home or at the office. Kids have been at school all day, and are tired. The kids now have homework to complete. They have just returned from dance or ball practice or are about to go to practice. Everyone is going in different directions at chaotic speeds. And to top it all off, everyone is hungry! But guess what! Mom methodically pulls a few things out of the refrigerator, and then very quickly and easily assembles the ingredients, and voila! She serves her family a home cooked meal! But get this…they all sit calmly, around the….TABLE! And do you know what they spend dinner time doing? They reconnect. The family has a sit-down, family dinner around the table. I know this is unfamiliar to most of us. Our culture has spent the last 15-20 years getting away from the precious family time that is shared spent around the dinner table.
This time is so invaluable. This time is time that you can never get back. And this time can belong to your family, too. Just as the above family stopped their chaotic lives for a few moments to gather around the dinner table and actually look at each other's faces, and spend those cherished moments together as a family, your family, too, can revisit the dinner table and own these moments for yourselves.
The truth is this: We are all extremely busy. Too busy. Way way way too busy. And I don't believe that most of us are going to change that. In fact, some of us feel it is impossible to change that. But here is what we can change, and herein lies the hope for your family: The above scene was made possible because mom had done a little bit of planning and preparation. She is not a magical, mythical character of many decades past. She is a mom of now, but she utilized some strategic tools that enabled her to create this incredible bonding time.
This endangered family time that comes with dinner spent around a table makes memories that become imprinted in your children's recall. This time is the time when you find out about each other. Mom and dad find out about the children. The children learn about mom and dad. This is teaching time. This is value learning time. This time is what you want your children to remember. You want them to remember all of you laughing while sharing stories of your day as you sit around the dinner table.
So make the decision. Make the decision to give this precious gift of family time to your family. Whether you sit down and come up with a meal plan for your own family, or you choose to utilize a meal planner or personal chef, you can create this same scene in your home.
I know you are busy. I am, too. But we all need to make the effort. It may look like a juggling exercise for some of us overworked parents with overscheduled children. But make a small goal for your family, even one night a week, to have this family time around your dinner table. Say the blessing together. Pass the food around the table. I have learned so much about my precious boys just by sharing in the blessing of the food. You will learn a lot about your beloved children. But even more, they will learn all about you, and all about family---their family, and what is precious to you. Claim this time for your own family! Go plan your dinner and do the prep ahead of time so that when the time comes, you may arrange it as gracefully as the mom in the above scenario.
posted on: 9/24/2009 2:00:00 PM by Melissa Searcy
category: Family
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It's good to be back!
by Melissa Searcy
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About Melissa:
Melissa Searcy is a professional organizer and independent decorator now living in Jasper, AL. Formerly of Montgomery, Melissa owns Lulagrace Interiors where she was a regularly featured guest on morning television and had articles featured in the local newspaper and many local monthly publications. For more information you may visit her at www.lulagrace.com. Melissa is also a member of the Facebook community at Facebook.com/melissa.searcy or on Twitter at Twitter.com/LulagracePO.
Melissa's Website:
www.lulagraceinteriors.blogspot.com
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