Every Thanksgiving we answer this question around the table as we eat our dinner. Best answer yesterday came from Courtney: "I'm thankful for this table - for what it represents: All the dinners we've had throughout the years together...around this table as a family. Hearing God's word read after dinner, morning Bible Studies..."
I've been thinking about this all day today. We've had this table for about 12 years. Give or take a few, that would roughly be:
~84 birthdays (7 people in the family x 12 years)
~96 annual holidays< ( New Years, Valentines, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas)
~2,100 days of homeschooling
~4,380 dinners
~13,00 meals
This table has been a constant in a family that keeps changing. In twelve years we've gone from a young family with kids ages 14, 11, 5, 3 and 1 to now having 2 adult children with careers and living on their own, a daughter-in-law, 2 high schoolers and a junior high student.
We've sat at this table teaching everything from table manners, to how to use a sewing machine, to teaching every grade K-12. Years of handwriting, grammar, math problems and Latin lessons have been done on it's surface.
This table has witnessed our bickering, teasing, anger, quarreling, tears of frustration and bitterness, as well as our laughter, kindness, humility, cooperation and serving one another.
While our family dinner table isn't very fashionable, maybe a little rugged and rustic, it really does tell a story of the life we've lived together in this home and represents so much of who we are as a family. And that's what I'm grateful for!
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