One week before Thanksgiving I got an email from "Neighbor's Table" telling me that they would be delivering tables to the southeast region of the states...would I like one? I had been wanting a big farmhouse style table for several years now, and had inquired about one when we first moved here. However, the timing wasn't right. And Pete said he would build me one. Two plus years later and I read the email with a glimmer of excitement. "Pete, what do you think?..." He could see my excitement and this time he agreed to the idea. But I wasn't sure if there was still time...I hadn't responded to the email immediately and several days had passed. Would it still be possible to get a table? I tried not to get my hopes up too much. But within 24 hours of my first email I heard back that a table would be loaded onto the truck from Dallas, Texas and I would be the final stop on Wednesday night (the day before Thanksgiving). Sarah (the one behind Neighbor's Table, and also the one to deliver my table) wondered if I'd like to put together a dinner party for Wednesday night...and she would love to stick around and eat with us. A dinner party the night before Thanksgiving?!! Pete and I decided it would be worth the chaos and stress of fixing another meal...a way to celebrate the arrival of my table. And not just any table...a table that held meaning for me. You see, I have come to see that one thing I have done whether living in Kentucky, Laos, Chiang Mai, or Florida is have people sit around my table and eat. I love to bring people together. I love connecting people, and to welcome people around the table. Whether it's a birthday party or a holiday or just a weekend evening gathering, I love to share my home and life with my friends. It's one way that I feel I can love others, and build community/relationships with others. It's a great way to introduce people to each other and help them leave feeling like friends. And Neighbor's Table is exactly this: a love mission. The vision behind the table is gathering people, and loving people. My heart says YES, YES, YES!! And so I was super excited about the arrival of my table. It was not "just a table". It was a vision of sharing love, resources, space, stories, friendship, around food...around a table. In the midst of a time when politics seem to be causing division, when we hear of fear and hatred, when we begin to feel despair over the condition of our country...I feel that I can offer my table as a place to bring people together. To live out the Kingdom of God...a place where all are welcome. None are turned away. The invitation is open. The invitation is love. And no one leaves the table empty. May my table be a place where many gather, and where our stories are shared, and where love grows. Amen.
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