It began with, what makes a meal? If you sit and eat by yourself, is that a meal? or are you just eating. We then discussed family meals, and whether or not people still eat as a family, and if we should. The resounding answer is we absolutely should have a meal as a family almost every day.
Growing up my mother put a big emphasis on eating as a family. With so many of us, and running around all day and into the night, it was hard to sit down as a family and have a full meal. Someone was always running late or rushing through to head out to a party, late meeting, or late play rehearsal. But my mom made sure we would all sit at some point, mostly because it was the only time we would really see everyone.
So many things happened around that dinner table. Mostly there was laughter, serious discussions about the Inn, and a little bit of bickering. Sometimes there was yelling, screaming, crying, and rarely, though it happened, throwing of dishes. But whether it was happy or stressful, it was a table where we learned, where we expressed ourselves, where we grew.
It was also where we got to know our siblings. Having an age range of 18 years between eight children made it difficult for us to all be close, let alone really know each other. I barely saw my three oldest brothers, they were in and out of high school before I entered middle school. We never hung out, and even when they baby sat me and my two other brothers would always be off in our own little worlds. But through fighting over the mashed potatoes and the focus of the conversation at the dinner table we got to know each other.
In our house the table was our home. And as we discussed it in class, and whether or not it was important, all I could do was say yes yes yes. It was the center of life for me, and will be the center of life for my own family... whenever that might come about...
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