My kitchen has been out of commission for about a month now. For those of you who do not know the story, I will give a quick recap.
I live in a small apartment on 9th street hill downtown. Its in the basement of a house that was built in 1895. Needless to say, there are some repairs that could probably be made.
I came home from Louisville after a nice weekend spend with Craig and my parents to a very damp, very much caving in, kitchen ceiling. Bummer.
So, after a two week battle of getting the repairs done (the leaky pipe fixed and the ceiling tiles replaced) I was still left with a kitchen that had insulation and debris all over the countertops and floor. And since it was midterms week, I did not have time to care.
Finally, last Saturday night, Craig and I rolled up out sleeves and got it done. So, now I can cook again, and this makes me so happy.
I love to cook; probably because I love to eat. But more than anything, I think I love the idea of a meal that has had time, love, and effort poured into it, and coming around the table to eat it together, as a family, even when that “family” is friends. There’s something so wonderful about the communal act of sharing a meal together, even if it is while sitting on the sofa since you’re currently in the process of refinishing your kitchen chairs.
I think Jesus enjoyed this too. There are lots of stories about coming around a table together in the Bible. Maybe Christ realized something about the importance of this that the fast food industry just isn’t getting. (Don’t get me wrong…I do love a Big Mac from time to time), but I really see this pattern in the loss of family “togetherness” and the rise of popularity in fast food and eating out. And maybe it has nothing to do with fast food…maybe our busyness is all to blame because it forces us to rely on the “quick” meal. But as I sit here in my philosophers armchair and develop convictions that I really hope I will stick to once Craig and I do get married and start our family, I really hope that I make it a priority to get my children around the dinner table for the majority of nights in the week. And I also hope that I will be motivated enough to make their lunches everyday, because school food is sick. I just don’t want my kids to miss out on all of the stories, laughter, and bonding that goes on around the dinner table. It’s important to me.
