I love hosting other creators on my blog and today, I am pleased to have my little sister, Emily, visiting with a guest post today.  My sister was there when no one else was, literally.  She is my biggest supporter and cheerleader and believes in me when I don’t believe in myself.  I introduced her to Emily P Freeman’s podcast: The Next Right Thing. You should check it out if you are not familiar with it.  Emily (my sister) is a Masters prepared social worker at heart and is fascinated with the power of narrative in our human experience.  She values simple, peaceful but eclectic living. She is an excellent jigsaw puzzle worker; she’s kick my rear since she was two. She lives in Washington state with my brother-in-law, my 11-year-old nephew, and their two terriers. Her post today is a timely thought (which she is also known for) during this holiday season. Take a look!

For the past several years I have obsessed about buying a dining room table.  My husband cannot quite understand it and I often wonder what my deal is.  My sister is the “foodie” of the family and although I enjoy cooking for appreciative eaters, I am fully aware that they are just as comfortable eating at my current four-chair table or pulling up a tray to the couch.

Why does buying this dining room table – the long farmhouse-style table made of solid wood that will endure the test of time – seem as Emily P. Freeman would say, like “the next right thing”?

Then it hit me after listening to one of Emily’s podcast.  That long farmhouse table symbolizes more than just eating.  Growing up, my family would often spend hours at the table.  Long after we had consumed our meal, we would sit and talk.  Whether analyzing the movie we watched the night before or getting to know someone new my father invited home for dinner after church.  Whether it was uncontrollable laughter that took you from your chair to the floor, or deep conversations that made you see the world from a different perspective, it was the conversation that took place at “the table” that meant so much to me.

So “the table” that I am obsessed with symbolizes connection.  The uninterrupted connection, before cellphones were small enough to bring to the table, that nourished my soul.  So, although still a symbolic heirloom I hope to purchase soon, it is connecting with people as I did at the dining table of my childhood that is my next right step.  Not in a fragmented way but in a way where everyone has a “seat”.  Connecting, sharing stories, learning, laughing, listening, and then leaving feeling restored.  At this proverbial table, we’ll find clarity and restoration.  At this table, we will find direction and inspiration.

Care to join me?  Let’s start truly connecting with people.  Let’s share, learn, laugh, and listen to one another.  Not with emojis and Facebook feeds, but with uninterrupted intention, just like I use to do, at the dining room table of my youth.

enjoy life…

Photo by Mark McCammon on Pexels.com