I’ve always had a heart for providing good food for people. I am in no way saying that I’m a good cook. I am in fact quite average. But still my desire to provide well for people in the context of eating together is strong!! I am passionate about making a meal be about more than just eating. I care about how people are made to feel during a meal and the way that I express they are welcome. I think most people care about this stuff. When people say that they ‘just had toasties’ for dinner, or ‘just had egg on toast’ or leftovers, I shudder a little bit. Not because that is bad food at all! Sometimes it is all we have!! But if it were me providing the meal, I would be so inclined to ensure the presentation of the meal was still just as welcoming and wonderful as it would be if I were cooking a roast.
In one of his daily meditations from earlier this year, Henri Nouwan talks about the ‘intimacy of the table’. I’ve read this a few times now and the truth that he shares continues to ring in my mind and heart as time goes on!!
The table is one of the most intimate places in our lives. It is there that we give ourselves to one another. When we say, “Take some more, let me serve you another plate, let me pour you another glass, don’t be shy, enjoy it,” we say a lot more than our words express. rejection of an invitation to intimacy.
Strange as it may sound, the table is the place where we want to become food for one another. Every breakfast, lunch, or dinner can become a time of growing communion with one another.
In my home, I want to always want to model the value of eating together. I want my children to know that when we eat meals we do more than just fill our tummies, but we also fill our souls! With conversation, love, laughter, warmth, welcome, and the list goes on! Whether we have no money and are limited to plain rice, or whether we are lucky enough to go out for dinner and enjoy a restaurant meal- I want my family to honour these times, sharing together, facing each other and knowing each other. When we have people over for meals, they are welcome in to our family- just as it is!!
Bethany 