I love sitting around a table and engaging in great conversation. As a child, I remember listening to my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles sitting around the table discussing life. They laughed and sometimes cried. There is just something about sitting around a table and talking.

Think about all the events that happen around a table. From birthday parties, holiday dinners and wedding toast to name just a few. Some of the biggest events and life decisions happen around a table.

As I travel on this crazy beautiful health journey, I can no longer eat anything by mouth. Since I have been on my feeding tube, some people have a hard time eating around me. They feel bad about enjoying a meal around me. Even though I constantly reassure them that it does not bother me, I have noticed less invitations to the table. I miss those moments because sitting around the table has nothing to do with eating for me. It never has. Engaging in great conversations and sharing life has always been more important than the food. I am thankful for those friends who still invite me to the table.

I do not share that experience to make anyone feel bad, I share that experience to show that more than a good meal happens at the table. Life happens around the table.

As I think back on those conversations my family had around the table, food played little into that memory. Most of the time, coffee was the only thing around the table. That and a lot of amazing conversations.

So as we start a new week, who will we invite to the table this week? Maybe it will be a friend, neighbor, coworker or maybe a complete stranger that God wanted us to meet. Remember, life happens around the table and sometimes food is involved. ~OC