Table Talks

I grew up in a smaller town in Utah until my nineteenth birthday. This effected my culture compared to what most would think is commonly found in the American culture. The culture that is found throughout this area is family oriented.

As I have gotten older, I have found that my family have drifted away from each other. We have grown up, moved away, and have tried to live our own lives. In general, this is just a natural aspect of life. However, I have found that being away from my family has led me to put up barriers around myself to keep my personal life away from them. There are some aspects in my life that I should share with my family, yet because of this divided life style, I no longer feel comfortable enough to share with them. No doubt, they must feel the same with me.

I have thought about this for some time, about how my family and I used to be so close together and now, as we are far away, has driven that rift between us. The closeness my family had growing up is something I wish to share with my friends and my future family to strengthen the intrapersonal relations. 

There are two culture traits that I wish to invite others to bring into their family or continue doing.

The first are those family nights. Some of my fondest memories of my family comes down to those family evenings, in which I did nothing but spend time with my family. On Monday nights, the streets would become dead to car life as individuals gather together as families. This can be found from city to city, miles and miles. A whole night just dedicated for the family. It would start around seven at night for my family. We would start with a song. We would laugh through Mares Eat Oats or shout through Late Last Night or argue with our mother about how Once There Was a Snowman actually supposed to be sung. We would then share a small lesson about Christ, then conduct family business where we could express what we all thought and try to fix our family problems. We would play a game and have a dessert. I have fond memories racing around our backyard to scream out Olly, Olly Oxen Free before we get tagged. In the end, we would kneel in prayer to thank God for what He allowed us to experience that evening together as a family...and possibly crack up laughing halfway through because someone made a farting sound like the "mature" children we were.

Those nights bring back some of the fondest memories, however that was only once a week. There is another tradition that I feel has a lasting impact to me more so than a dedicated night to the family.

Family dinners table talks.

Sitting down each and every night to eat with my family is a cherished memory that I will be grateful for forever. Something about coming together for a short break throughout the day, share problems, laughs and giggles, and day's excitements has left a lasting impact on me as an individual. The time we spent at the dinner table brought us together more than any vacation, movie night, or play day could ever do. For a brief moment of every day, I got to see all my family members. Free of distractions of all kinds. Free from friends. From social media. Free from homework. Yes, the time I spent detached from the world and focused on just my table talks with my family has threaded us together. We would often discuss how this time for table talks provided a way for us to bond and would bring up how our friends, would not do family dinners, would often be distant from their family. It has shocked me how much family dinner table talks has impacted my life.

Family nights and family dinners is something I think everyone should do. Frankly, it is getting it started that is the hardest. Each family is different, but I think the best way to do this is have a firm decision in your heart of what you want your family to become. Start with one person, then work up to two people, and perhaps in time your whole family will join in. The only way to start a family gathering is by making a conscious effort to do it.

Find time for your table talks. Find time for family gatherings. When you find time for family, your time with your family will be the best moments of your life.