An Ordinary but Deeply Powerful Sunday Family Lunch

I'm deeply grateful for this ordinary thing we do together

We did something ordinary today.  We ate our Sunday lunch together, the three generations of us.  It's ordinary because we do this almost every Sunday.  We started this pleasant habit about seven years ago -- and have gathered now hundreds of times.

But ordinary does not even begin to describe the deep human value of this simple activity. Sharing food is deeply woven into humanity. There is a bonding that happens each time we sit at table together. It feels like silken threads added layer upon layer binding us together.

Not only are we sharing food, we are sharing ideas, hopes, and dreams. While sometimes we have important subjects to discuss as a family, mostly it's just happy talk, the casual conversation of people who know each other well. Plans are hatched for other activities we do together. Sometimes we ask for help with a project or a need. We often talk about the church meeting we were part of earlier in the morning. And we're Americans, so we talk about politics. :) We often find that two or three hours slip away before it is time to go our separate ways.

One Sunday, we talked about who we are as a family. All seven of us contributed words that described us, even the youngest. We built this “word cloud” to describe ourselves:

I believe what is happening at a super-conscious level is even more profound. In these regular gatherings, we are each teaching each other who we are as a people in a family, how we respond to life, how we communicate and connect emotionally with each other, and how our shared faith in Jesus works. Family history is shared in little pieces, and the younger learn from the older who they are and where they come from.

And there is a simple profundity at the spiritual level as well. We begin our meals together with a simple grace. It's a habit, but habits are powerful, and this one reminds us each week that we live our lives with attitudes of gratitude and a recognition of Jesus, who is at the center of all. This is what we sometimes sing together:

Thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus
For this food, for this food
And our many blessings, and our many blessings
Amen amen amen

So......today, I'm deeply grateful for this ordinary thing we do together, and the extra-ordinary family of which I am a part.