Living A Life Of Gratitude: 4 At Table

Welcome to living a life of gratitude.

I'm Sarah Wiseman.

At table.

Wandering in after a long day,

We bring it all with us.

Everywhere we've been,

Everyone we've been around.

All our thoughts,

Worries,

Anxieties,

And irritation tromp right along with us.

We take our shoes off in the mudroom,

Throw our jackets on our beds,

Sling our backpacks and purses on the floor,

And before there's time to shower or read or relax in any way,

We huddle together around the dining room table,

All of us at the same time.

It's a hard transition,

A battlement of energies from the four,

Sometimes five or six souls at the table.

It's easy to argue,

Complain,

Or retreat in irritation,

But still we do it.

We join hands or at the very least we touch fingers and say the grace that comes to one of us.

Thank you.

We acknowledge this time together.

Keep us safe.

Let us have more days on this earth.

We are grateful.

The older souls around our table understand that it will not always be the same.

Some will leave this soul circle as some already have.

The daughter to the California coast,

The son who will move to college,

The younger daughter who will also make her way.

The circle we have at today's table is not constant.

It is always in flux.

This is just a moment in time in which you pass the bread,

Pass the butter,

And look at each other's faces in absolute wonderment that you have been given the gift to be with them,

To experience them,

To love them.

In the family of your own childhood,

You sat with different souls.

Nothing is the same.

We are always in change.

The circle you hold now,

Whether it is family,

Friends,

Or partner,

Or you yourself at a table alone,

The table becomes our mecca's call,

A place to stop,

Sit,

And reflect on our day,

Lives,

And on those we love.

What were the tables of your childhood like?

Remember who sat around them with you.

Now think about the time you most recently sat at table.

Recall who was there and who you wished was there.

If you are able,

Call them on the phone or send a text or email.

If you're not able,

Hold them close in your heart with gratitude for the times you were together.