Gathering around the table

Recently one of our weekends was full of the noise from drills, saws, and orbital sanders as well as what seemed like about a million pounds of saw dust in the air.  All of my (Alex's) family had gotten together for the weekend to do woodworking projects-- a perfectly normal, "relaxing" weekend gather.  Each of my siblings and their significant others were building a rustic farmhouse style table.  My sister-in-law and my dad had researched plans and styles as well as ordering that materials.  The rest of us showed up with our skills.  I think most participants would agree that the skills brought to the "table" were limited.  My dad and younger brother have been doing woodworking together for years and have built some awesome creations.  I can sand and Arthur built a few projects in shop class in junior high but that is the extent of our experience.

We all gathered in the garage Saturday morning after my dad had to drag us away from breakfast and some lively conversation to get to work.  I spent most of the day sanding with the other gals while Arthur spent sometime using a jig to drill holes and screw the table tops together.  While I don't understand much about woodworking I have always had an appreciation for the amount of planning and detail it takes.  It seems like it is pretty difficult to fix mistakes in woodworking and you can't deviate much from a plan.

Throughout the day there were times when those of us who were less skillful didn't have much to do in the shop.  This meant we got a chance to play with our niece and read books with her.  That evening my mom prepared a "Tropics Day" dinner.  Several years we went to Florida on Spring Break and the years we didn't go we would eat foods like jambalaya, shrimp and steak (or "surf and turf") tropical fruits, and key lime pie which was all on the menu for that evening.  After dinner we went back out to finish the assembly of the first table.  It was exciting to see how all the parts fit together for the finished product.  Of course there is still a lot of sanding and staining to do on that table.  We will have to "table" the work on the other two for another weekend until we get more wood.  My parents may have a few huge tables in their garage for months.

During that weekend for one of the meals we deviated from my family's usual blessing to a prayer that Arthur and my brothers said at their fraternity for meals:

"Be present at our table Lord

Be here and everywhere adored

These mercies bless and pray that we

May live in paradise with thee." 

What a blessing for our weekend of "gathering around the table".  As we were building the tables it was interesting to think about the gatherings that will happen around the three tables in the years to come.  There will probably be some gatherings of our family but then friends, small groups from church, neighbors, strangers, etc.  So much life is often shared sitting around a table sharing a meal.  And in all of that we ask that the Lord be present at our tables.  Omnia Vincit Amor.