Two weeks ago, my fiancée and I were invited to have dinner with some friends from our young adult community. It was our second time going over at their place, the last we visited being Friendsgiving. This time, it was interesting to see their place without thirty or so young adults filling every conceivable space of the house. These friends are one of the few who actually have a house since most of our friends in the community have apartments.
It was a great time to catch up with them, especially since they are from the Midwest and went to a large university, part of a network called the “Big Ten” schools. One of the things that I missed about the Midwest is the hospitality and the laidback personality when it came to life. Certainly, that is easier to understand when one is away from the city life or business that is part of the ethos here on the East coast. Being at the dinner table with friends is one my favorite past time, an intimate experience in which people are gathering to share and recollect memories while basking in the delicious food that’s been prepared.
This takes me back to a book that I’ve read and loaned out to some friends, “The Grace of Enough” by Haley Stewart. Stewart is a Catholic mother, writer, blogger, and podcaster who writes on various elements of Catholic living, from the vantage point of being a mother. The book centers around reclaiming a more simplistic life and giving priority to things that are most important such as family time, fostering values, building a beautiful home, etc. In one of the chapters, Haley writes,
“Somewhere along the way we lost the sense that sharing food around the table is a simple but crucial part of human experience. In fact, as sensory beings, we are wired to care about food and connect with people through that shared experience of eating together. This communal aspect of eating is why food allergies can feel isolating. It’s why holiday cooking is so emotive and the scents and the flavors of a thanksgiving meal can draw us back to important memories,” (pg. 74-75).
All the moments that encompass meal at table is the real why table time is a sacred time. The occassion is not fixated on the food, rather the people who are part of the meal. It’s about the hands that have prepared the meal, those partaking in the feast and most especially those who go without. Meals are sacred in that everyone is invited to the table. In Scripture, the beautiful image of a feast or a wedding banquet suggests the grandeur of such gatherings.
The next time that you are with others, put down the phone stop worry about your future obligations and learn to be present with those around you. Memories of being at table are some of the treasures of human life, treasures that we pass on to future generations.
Toward the Top 