The Sacred Altar of the Home

Heavenly.
Recently, I met a lovely, enlightened woman,
who described her dinner table
as
"sacred".
That really struck my heart.
It's true.
Of all of the furniture in my home,
it is the dinner table
that has become consecrated
to the building up of our
Family.

All the work my husband does
to provide for us
so I can prepare and serve
meals to my family
has a grander meaning
when I see this table with
eternal eyes.

It may be dotted with
strawberry jam,
maple syrup,
bits of salt and pepper,
bread crumbs and cheerios--
But that food is a blessing to us.

At times,
there are pages of homework,
library books,
gym shorts,
church books,
pens, pencils, crayons,
even a dog leash
laying about the long wooden slats
that have been carefully carved
and crafted into our dinner table.
Those things are also blessings to enrich
our lives,
as individuals
and as a family.

To find it completely cleaned,
with nothing on it,
is to find it right before dinner,
or right after dinner...
but usually
it is laden with the stuff of our
family's
comings and goings.

We dedicate it daily
to serving our family's needs.
We eat at it,
Serve one another around it,
laugh around it,
gather our friends to it
and
Pray to our Heavenly Father at it,
asking for His Love to protect us
and guide us
and teach us to be better people.

This Christmas Season was no different--
I prepared my family's favorite treats
with my sweet daughter-in-love, Tisha
by my side.
We chopped
and stirred
and mixed
and tasted
and Served.
And we loved.

The smells coming from the kitchen
pulled the family
from the corners of the house
to "see what's cookin'"--
everyone eager to taste and share
the bounty.

We pull out our best red dishes
with the moose
and bear
on them
and we sit in our favorite wooden seats
waiting for all to be filled,
even when we have to "go find" the missing person--
we wait.
Then we pray.
We express our gratitude
for all that we have
and acknowledge His hands in everything.
And once again,
dedicate our hearts to Him
and one another.

Looking at my dinner table
with eternal eyes--
fills my heart with joy!
It is not a new or even nearly new
expensive wood--
it's just a long oak table
with dents
and scratches
from years of daily use.

It is MY altar.
It is where I bring the fruits of my labors
to serve
my family
and my Heavenly Father.

Now, go look at your dinner table with new eyes...
tell me if yours isn't as divine as mine.
I'm sure it is.