Our eight children like to guess what we are having for dinner. Sometimes, it is by the ingredients that are out, but most of the time, it is by what they smell cooking. Smells that remind them of home, meals past, comfort, provision, and care. For years, I’ve told them that whether the meal is good or bad, their favorite or not their favorite, it always contains a secret ingredient. They all know what it is.
Some of my favorite memories with our children have happened sitting around the dinner table. My husband, David, and I have always prioritized dinner time in our home. This practice hasn’t always been easy. With eight children, sports, church, and busy schedules, it’s easy to forsake eating together with everyone doing their own thing, especially as children get older. But I’m thankful we always prioritized dinner time together.
With our growing family and small space to accommodate all of us years ago, we began searching for a round table big enough to seat our whole family in a tight space after visiting a restaurant with a round table that was the perfect size to seat all of us. We wanted one when we realized the blessing of seeing everyone’s faces! We ended up having a friend from church build us a custom round table to fit our space. It’s my favorite piece of furniture in our whole home!
The table has worn over the years, with indentions of their handwriting on it as they did schoolwork or homework. Memories of all the meals and conversations and laughter shared at that table. It’s my absolute favorite thing in the whole house.
As our children have gotten older, some have married and moved away. Some are in college. The three youngest children are still at home for a few more years. Gathering around the table for dinner, birthdays, and holidays has changed. The regular dinner-time meals are much smaller. The holiday and birthday meals are much bigger!
One thing that I love is to hear our children reminisce about their childhood. As some have grown into adults, I have realized that things have gone on in my home that I didn’t know were happening. I have not heard anything bad or nefarious but simply growing up things. Sibling conversations and predicaments are talked about that sometimes leave us stunned and sometimes laughing.
Our youngest son is known among his younger sisters to have “saved their lives” many times. There was a barbell incident. An electric socket incident. Our oldest daughter, the prankster, evidently “pranked” a little more than my husband & I were aware of. And oh, the stories of the “new drivers” driving their siblings to school. Most often, sibling secrets are hilariously told as we gather together for a meal.
Family. A shared past. And by God’s grace, a shared faith. And hopefully, by His continued presence and goodness, continued relationships.
My thoughts often go to the future—the future hope of the Gospel. Scripture promises a coming marriage supper of the Lamb. There will be countless sibling stories to tell as we see the faces of our brothers and sisters in Christ. All of us with a shared past. A shared faith. A sealed future. Can you imagine the joy and happiness there? I can’t! But I see glimpses of it as my growing family gathers together around our dinner table.
There’s a line in a contemporary Christian song that always gets me…
“When I sit at Your table
I am right where I belong
In the doorway of my Father’s house
I’m home”.
This song pictures a glimpse of the future I see. Belonging. Home.
One day, I’ll burst into my Father’s house anticipating what’s for dinner, knowing that whatever it is, I will be greeted with embraces, joy, laughter… a sense of belonging. Home.
The food, which I am sure will be better than anything I’ve ever tasted, will pale compared to the warmth, love, and sense of belonging.
What’s for dinner? I don’t know, but whatever it is, I know the secret ingredient. It’s love.
