Eating as we know it is an every day occurrence.
The way the act of shopping for, preparing the meal, setting the table, eating the meal, and cleanup can vary greatly from household to household.
And what about the person, or persons who are working every day to put those meals on the table?
I suppose growing up in the 50’s and 60’s made a definite impression on me.
Both of my parents worked but dinner was always on the table by 5 o’clock, an hour after Dad got home from work.
Mom was a master at making a pound of hamburger into a delicious meal, from tamale pie, meatloaf, stuffed bell peppers, and my favorite spaghetti with meatballs along side a vegetable. These were all made from scratch, but fairly quick and easy to prepare for our family of six.
The task of setting the table and clean up was rotated among my three sisters and I often fighting over who would wash and who would dry the dishes. Drying seemed to be the favorite task if we had to choose.
To this day, I still have an organized way of putting my dishes in the rack ( of now an electric dishwasher) so as to maximize that the space is used in the most efficient way to achieve the best capacity. Something I must have learned along the way.
I've always thought there was a certain " grace" to setting the table with dinner plates, glasses, and silverware.
I’ve always thought there was a certain “grace” to setting the table with dinner plates, glasses, and silverware. Everyone seemed to have silver plated “silverware” before the wonders of stainless steel utensils were developed in the early 1900’s . The benefits of anti-microbial properties found in silver were soon forgotten when tasteless stainless steel was invented.
We were taught to put the fork and knife on the right side, knife facing blade toward the plate, the spoon on the left, the glasses at the top right.
Fresh milk was served at every meal. My dad was a milkman and I’m pretty sure we went through four gallons of milk every week, delivered to our front porch in glass gallon jugs held in a metal carrier. Recycling at it’s finest!
Our meals were simple, earthy, and family oriented.
We would all come together at a kitchen table situated between the kitchen and the back door. There was no “formal” dining room in our house that was built after the war in the 50’s.
Nothing fussy, or any thought to decoration except for special occasions.
We sat together as a family, beginning our meal with a simple table prayer, one that was easy enough for even the youngest ones in the family to memorize and recite when it came their turn.
” Come Lord Jesus
Be our Guest
Let this food
To us be blessed” Amen
Nothing too long so as to let the food get cold as we had dished our plates up – folded our hands, bowed our heads, and prayed over our plates.
A Pause for Prayer
A pause for prayer before a meal, creates a unity, or feeling of communion for all of those present, a consciousness for the provider of the food, the preparation of the food, and a respect for the act of nourishing our bodies with a meal.
It creates a tone, or atmosphere in the room, by inviting the spiritual element to be present at the table.
Most people today are aware of Masaro Emoto’s studies with water, how the vibration of water is enhanced aand healed by prayer and positive words.
The same philosophy or practice when applied to our food at each meal with a simple prayer, will elevate the quality of the meal by not only raising the vibration of the food itself but also that of the one reciting the prayer .
To take this a step further bringing fresh flowers, beautiful colors, even candle light to the table will enhance the meal and bring an element of festivity to an every day task making every day a cause for celebration.
By creating these daily rituals of preparing, serving, and sharing the clean up among family members along with the simple practice of a short prayer mealtime will be a win-win.
Mealtime when spent together as a family will create a closeness, a camaraderie among the family members.
It can be a training ground for teaching children to chew with their mouths closed, to not speak when they have food in their mouth, to take a moment of pause before digging in, to learn to show respect for others at the table, to share, be considerate of others at the table, to not take more than their fair share of food, and to learn to carry on a conversation with others.
It’s a great opportunity for learning, training in respect, and confidence, preparation for the outside world. Conversations should always stay positive, uplifting and gentle.
The contrast between a prayer like, ” Welp
Lord! Let’s Eat!” ( forget the Lord and just dig in!)
And
” Come Lord Jesus” Inviting a High Vibration being to the dinner table to…..
“Be Our Guest” so our behavior is accountable and more respectful to our “guest”.
” Bless this Food” that we are about to partake in, the provider, the one who prepared it and the Life Force in the food, it’s life giving properties.
” To us be blessed” that we might live a healthy and long life on this earth.
” Amen” The sound of God. The power of the spoken word for All Men, Women, and Children.