..... from "Wisdom from the Table" by Patrick Henry Reardon

A nice article appears in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Touchstone magazine, Wisdom from the Table, on the Foundational Culture of the Dining Room." I will quote:

1. First, a person learns to pray at table, to thank God for his blessings, some of which the family shares at mealtime. He thus acquires the habit of gratitude, which is esential to a soul pleasing to God.
2. Second, because he has just thanked God for his food, a person cannot logically complain of it. This would contradict the prayer of thanksgiving.
3. Third, a person learns elementary self-control. He is discouraged from gorging himself like a mule. He gets a feel for proper portions in eating, because there are others there at the table with whom he must share the food. Thinking of others at the table, he also acquires the habit of restricting his passions and appetites, a lesson fundamental to the moral formation of character.
4. Fourth, at the family table a person becomes versed in the formalities of speech common in a polite society. Under the gentle dicipline of his elders, he acquires the ability to communicate with others kindly, a trait also vital to the contouring of character.

These four simple lessons to be learned at the table are quite convicting to me. Looking back on our years of family meals, I surely see how I could have "done it better." I thank God for his mercy to us. I'm glad I can still keep pursuing His wisdom......I will just have to keep cooking and inviting family and friends to join us at the table!