gather

If asked to choose my favorite spot in my home, it would be the middle of my kitchen. My harvest table, precisely. That table represents so much more than a piece of furniture. It is the center of family life. A place to gather and share a meal together. A place to have tea and talk with a friend. A place for me to prepare food to nourish a growing family.
Before we reworked the layout of our kitchen, we had a lovely corner banquet....that I hated to sit at. We ate our meals there, period. If company was over I would quickly usher them out of the kitchen, tea in hand, to a comfier spot in the livingroom. I hated it. I wanted my kitchen to be a place to linger, to enjoy, and to gather. The key to that for me? A big old table in the middle of my floor. I knew in my heart that when we made the changes to the kitchen, it would make a huge difference in how I felt about the room. It did.

The table we have might not be my dream table, but it is big and solid, and it is where I need it to be.
I try to keep it cleared off and ready for a meal, but through the course of a day it becomes many things. A bread kneading surface, a laundry table, a desk, a grocery staging area, and so on.
I was inspired to write about this, after reading what Soulemama wrote about her table. I hope that she makes it a regular feature. I just might join in.
Have a blessed day! Tami