The whole 'having all our girls and their men around the table' overwhelms me - it is a lovely thing that fills my heart with gratitude and at times my eyes with tears!
Parenting involves a mixture of successes and regrets. One of the things we did with our kids when they were growing up is to sit around the table as a family for dinner and breakfast. It was a good time to see each others faces, talk and laugh and cry and joke and learn manners and hear each others ups and downs and pray together too. Add to that - nurture the development of the art of conversation. Our four girls pictured here on Kawhia family weekend by the sea in 2010.
Yesterday on Sunrise TV3 Breakfast News I heard of a new game called 'The Art of Conversation' inspired by the lack of such a thing. Probable causes - technology and the fact that we don't sit around the table much anymore. I felt glad we had worked hard at doing that with our family. There is now a children's version out in addition to the adult one.
We found when we were in France that the French are good at eating at the table and taking time over a meal... In the book 'A French Woman For All Seasons' Mireille Guiliano says this, "Time is not something we are given; it is something we make. We all have much more to do than can possibly be done in a day. Even French families have been forced to choose which meals they will have 'en famille'; the time honoured ritual can no longer be observed with the traditional regularity. The world is no longer set up to furnish such occasions; we make them for ourselves. We must: life would lose all satisfaction without the time we set aside - the days and hours and even the odd moment - that we reserve to enjoy it. This is not selfishness; it is just living, an opportunity too precious to waste."
True true. We noticed less people over there texting all the time and talking when out with friends.
ReplyDeleteI have a mate in TA and in 1 nights phone call we can solve all the worlds problems , laugh , feel better , feel worse , contemplate deep things , be rude , laugh , sort out fishing problems , re-live history , laugh , plan a future , complement each others good looks and all manner of very important topics vital to healthy living.
James says it better in his book about how powerful our tongue is.
"I love you"
I hate you"
Wow. 3 words , but what a difference they make.
Ciao for now darlings. Talk soon aye.
Who loves you'ss fullas.
I feel society need to relearn the art of patience for the art of conversation to resurface. There needs to be such a thing as willpower reinstated too and choices made to benefit personal values which will inevitably enhance better relationships and produce feelings of inner peace and well being.
ReplyDeleteSwitching cell phones off for starters.. an epidemic which can easily be reversed.
At the table.. no phones or computers on.
Grace serves more than one purpose. The few moments giving thanks is good for a sense of unity, and aids digestion processes..is a good start to a relaxing meal. We can all benefit
from the art of grace, not just in the saying of grace, but in being grace. Part of being grace is tolerance. Listening. Everyone has their story to tell and to be heard without judgement. Conversation with respect. For the personal belief systems of others. The opportunity of shared laughter as well as food, laughter is good for the endorphins [ our inner uppers ]. So is thinking about the enjoyment of food as we're eating it..not what we are rushing off to next..or food interruptions with txting etc which is very rude and also hard on the chef. We lived in a society without instant technical communications and managed. Why the rush? We drove from A to B to then make a connection, why the insanity of txting in cars ? drivers ?
Society need to get together more for shared meals, meals to be eaten companionably in a relaxed manner with respectful awareness of the real values that are Life.
Listening to others and with measured responses [ without ego ] which is patient appreciation of the views of others..
result ? balance..equality..contentment..
unity
so true we always had dinner together, every night, this was fun still is when our adult children come home. I remember when we had farm assistants who would be on our dinner table at night when the children where young. The things we discussed!!!Sitting in front of the tv with dinner was not an option, and never will be
ReplyDeleteHope to share dinner with you soon
Liefs The Verheys