Today is Thursday, November 25, 2010

Today is Thanksgiving Day here in the USA.  A day that tradition says we gather with family and friends around a table to share a meal and give thanks for our blessings.  I think it is a good thing to set aside a special day to do this but would it not be a good thing to do it more often?

I don’t mean that it has to be a big production like Thanksgiving Day often is.  But on a regular basis get together around a table and share some food and conversation.  There was a time when most families sat at the table together every day for supper but now it is not so common.

When I was growing up it was expected that at 5:30 all of us would be home, at the table for supper.  If you were not going to be there it had better be a pretty good reason why not.  Even though I never liked rules much I liked this one.  It was just one of those things that was a for sure thing–it was an anchor of sorts.

I can’t say that there was always pleasant conversation; sometimes there were arguments and tempers got a little hot or worse there was occasionally–silence–that was always bad.  But for the most part there was sharing of the day and what was going on in each of our worlds apart from the family, there were funny stories and commentary on the news and what was happening in the world.

I miss that bit of time each day.  I feel sad that many people today do not have supper at home at least a few times a week.  The at home part is important; as nice as it is to go out to a restaurant for true family time it has to be at home in my opinion.

I am thankful that supper at home with the family was part of my childhood.