Would you like to hear a heart desire of mine? Really?
I’ve wanted a place (a home, which we have) to have a meal with people each week. Preferably the same people because I love deep community, but a place to sit down over food and good conversation, good drink and lovely people - a place for people to be real, for kids to play in the yard, for time to slowly pass because you are enjoying the company so much.
A place to share happiness and hurts, celebrations and pain. A place where you can come dressed up or in cut-offs and flipflops. And for this to be longterm.
I didn’t have this growing up - even though we lived in the same house and went to the same church most of my growing up years. We sorta had it with the small church I grew up in with 5th Sunday dinners, but that was at a church and only happened a few times a year. Though there was some seriously good food.
But, I want it around our table. And if I had my way, I would pick about 10 couples to all move to my neighborhood and do this with me every week.
Quote from Sally Clarkson’s The Life Giving Table. Originally in Orthodoxy