As I was peeling potatoes for our evening meal, my mind was
filled with many things. Much was going on at the time and there was much yet
to be done before supper and then even after. I knew, besides getting the
potatoes on to cook, the table needed to be cleared off so we could set it for
supper.
And so I thought about our table. It serves many purposes,
literally. In the last 24 hours, it has been used to cut fabric and sew, eat
breakfast, sit down for a cup of coffee and a devotion, do computer work, wrap
gifts, write Christmas cards, color with markers, eat lunch, fold laundry, eat
snack, do homework, eat dinner, and conduct a meeting.
I cannot think of another piece of furniture in this house that gets more use by all of us.
See our table is really the focal point in our home. Our
home is small so this is the natural gathering place. The table is often
cluttered with many random items from all of its daily use, since not
everything gets put away after it is used. And when it comes to supper time,
usually much clearing needs to be done in order to actually use the table as it
was intended. But despite that fact, it is an important furnishing in our home.
Because the table is centrally located in the downstairs, we can be working on
things together in close proximity.
For instance, while I peeled potatoes this evening, Isaiah sat
at the table working through his homework, while Elias and Lillie wrangled each other on the kitchen floor. See, he could be doing his homework in his quiet room. But he likes to be
at the table, at the gathering place, despite the noise. I feel like this is a benefit to us for
raising our family. I could send Isaiah off to his room to work, he would be
distracted less. But we enjoy congregating together, working together.
I get frustrated at the state of our table sometimes. I wish
we could clean up after ourselves a little better. Sometimes I wish we had more dedicated space for some of the things our table gets used for. But then we would be together less. So, the table is a reminder of all
the time we spend doing things together.
I wonder about the intent for the table. Did the person who
intended the dining table or the concept of it really think through all its
many uses?
Did you ever think about your table? Maybe you will never
think of it in the same way.