The Family Table

I recently guest posted on the blog JDaniel4's Mom...she asked me to share my thoughts on pausing for family dinners on Thanksgiving.  I was honored to share my thoughts with her readers and wanted to share them here with all of you as well.  I tweaked it a bit since then.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Every Thanksgiving as I sit at my kitchen table and look at those sitting around it with me...I can't help but feel grateful for the joy and beauty of having such a large family. Yes, it's loud and there are fights over who gets a turkey leg and who gets to break the wishbone.

But it's also a time of appreciation. A time to truly be thankful for the life that we live and the family we have to share it with. I take the time and sit and stare at each one of their happy little faces and I'm glad God chose me to be their wife and mother.   I'm grateful and proud that my children remember to always thank me for preparing their food, every day.

I sit and listen to them as we take turns saying what we are thankful for and I laugh when they say silly things...and I appreciate when they say simple things....how many things we take for granted that others don't have.  Every year, Rich and I share the special memory of how each one of our children got their name or how we are thankful that God chose to bless us with them.  We tell them, not only how special we think they are, but how much they are loved and wanted.  Our life is truely blessed because they are are in it.

I feel good when my children are happy and I love to see them smile.  It's what I live for.  It makes me happy to hear Nicholas say "one more time, so we can hear Mommy laugh because I love to hear her giggle."

I think family dinners are something that people don't appreciate in these days. When I sit with my family and we are telling jokes and laughing and supporting each other - it makes me happy. Why can't more families sit and take time - to pause their busy lives and enjoy their families. Truly listen to them. So many families 'eat and run' or sit in front of the tv and don't get the chance to appreciate the rare gift of family.

Family is everything to me...my blog motto is "Family---Its not where you go or what you do, it's who is beside you that counts." Now whether that person is a true family member or one that has just become like a family member....appreciate them. Tell them how much you love them. Because we truly don't know how much time we have with each other and we should never take that time for granted.

Teach your children to appreciate and honor the adults in their life. Take time for each other - who else in life is there to grow old with you, love you unconditionally and be there for you even when they are angry...but your family. So, don't just sit together at Thanksgiving dinner and acknowledge the gifts that God has blessed you with...Sit with each other every day or as often as possible. Enjoy the time, the beauty and love that surrounds you (literally). I promise the peace and love you will feel while you eat, will feed you more than the food ever will., Take the time to look around that table and be grateful for the gifts that you are blessed with, not only on Thanksgiving day, but every day as well.

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!

*linking to Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday