I Believe In The Power Of A Family Dinner

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This I Believe
I believe in the power of a family dinner. When was the last time you sat down for dinner with your family? When was the last time you sat around a circular table and discussed your days? Every single night that we are home, my family sits down for dinner together. And most days, those moments we spend laughing and reminiscing at the dinner table are the happiest moments of my day. We take up the whole table, bumping elbows and reaching across people constantly. When my mom is traveling, and her seat on the left side of the table is empty, dinner feels incomplete.
Family dinner is about finding the time in all of our hectic lives to pause,talk, and spend time together. Usually, I run in muddy and tired from softball practice, and collapse into my unofficially assigned seat at the table. That feeling, the one of knowing you’re finally done for the day, is euphoric. But our family’s life isn’t perfect. Days can be rough and long, and sometimes life is just too much. …show more content…

Our marble table, in its own special room, is a place of healing in its own right. Every member of our family has cried there more times then I can remember. Looking back, however, that marble table top is a place of more joy and more intellect than anywhere else I know. My dad’s witty anecdotes and commentary on life bring us to tears, and we laugh until our bellies hurt. My mom quotes New York Times articles from memory, provoking thoughtful discussions about the current state of our nation. Everyone has their own distinct and honest perspective, and before we know it, the glowing clock on the microwave says we’ve been sitting for two

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