Process: Solar Plate Etching, Linocut
As a young girl I could count on sitting down with my family
at least three times a day: morning, noon, and evening. All seven of us stopped
what we were doing, sat together, and shared a meal. During my teen years, Mom
worked outside the home and we all had busy schedules, regardless we still
stopped what we were doing in the evening, came to the table and shared our
evening meal. I didn’t know any different, this was life as I knew it.
Now that I am a mother of two teens, I try hard to prepare
the evening meals and bring the family together just as my mother instilled in
me. I will admit it is not an easy task. Regardless, that is what families do
no matter how many parents or children are in the home, right? I’ve always
assumed this to be true.
Sadly, a year ago my eyes were opened to a very different
reality. No, family dinners are not the
norm any more. This reality became clear when my teen daughter’s friends began
showing up on my doorstep at roughly 5:30 most evenings. I had anywhere between
1-6 extra teens squeezed around the dinner table most evenings. I often heard
comments such as “Wow, Mrs. J we never sit at the table in our house, usually
we grab a plate and head off to our rooms.” or “We don’t eat dinner at our
house, we just fend for ourselves.” Or “You actually set the table here? We
have never used the table for eating at.” Or “I wish we did this at our house.”
My heart broke a little each time I heard one of those comments from the teens.
Though that group of teens have moved on, I still think about them and all the
other young kids that have never experienced the tradition of stopping for a
moment each day, sharing a meal, and reconnecting with the people in their
lives.
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