Joanne Heim comments in her book… “If home is where the family is centred, then the kitchen is the heart of the home” (page 127). It is true, isn’t it? The kitchen is often where everything gets piled on the counter in my house! It is where we eat, meet and do most of our talking. People are making larger and larger kitchens these days… realizing that things often center around the kitchen. Ultimately the size doesn’t matter, though, does it? It is the sharing of life over the meal… and that can be and is done on dirt floors!
Statistics are constantly being published showing that how much a family eats dinner together is a good indicator of whether teens are likely to smoke, use drugs and how well they perform academically. Media even comments on the importance of eating together. Mealtime is an opportunity to be together, to connect and share. It shows our kids that we value time together. Are we intentional and focused during this detail of day to day life? Are we rushing through dinner or taking that small opportunity and making the most of it? God reminds us that we are to impress his commands upon our children and talk about them when we sit at home. What do we do with our dinner time in the heart of our home?
