A Year of Gratitude!
Table Talk
Setting the Table
You are welcome here. Come just as you are, bringing whatever is on your heart today. Take a couple deep breaths, and allow yourself to be present in this moment.
Consider where you were last Thanksgiving. What has changed between then and now? How have you changed?
“Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: It must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.”
—William Faulkner
Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.
Food for Thought
Thanksgiving is here, y’all… and it is my favorite holiday!
Growing up, most kids I knew looked forward to Christmas - the lights, the songs, the time off of school, the candy, the gifts! And while I, too, enjoyed all of those things, the holiday I looked forward to the most was Thanksgiving. I still do! All of my favorite dishes in one meal, and you get to eat all day! Everyone you visit insists that you “grab a plate.” It always amazes me how many different ways there are to make green bean casserole.
But what I really enjoy the most isn’t the food - it's the opportunity to gather. I love the chatter of different conversations, the clinking of forks on the plates, and dishes being placed in the sink. I love the kids running around, the laughter, and stories told. I love the intentional opportunity for connection that Thanksgiving offers.
Every year, at some point during the meal, my granddaddy challenges each of us to consider all that we are grateful for. He reminds us that what we share around the table - the love, the belonging - is a true gift. A gift not to be taken for granted. A gift to be shared with others.
Once you have experienced true belonging, you understand why it is something we all seek.
Last year, when a global pandemic forced us to stay apart and isolated from one another, we found creative ways to hold on to one another - to foster our connections with those we were missing - to extend belonging in the midst of crisis. People shared concerts from their living rooms. Authors virtually read books to children in an effort to give exhausted parents a break. Teachers found ways to make learning fun even through computer screens. Communities rallied around healthcare workers for their sacrifice and selflessness, ringing bells and clapping for them at coordinated times of day. People can be pretty remarkable!
That same desire - to reach out, to extend belonging, and to create space for others to feel seen, heard, and appreciated - is what started The Welcome Table. We knew that the 2020 holiday season was going to look different for everyone, and we wanted to find a way to help foster community - to bring people together across distance and difference - and to share a little hope, peace, joy, and love with you all. The response to this invitation was beautifully overwhelming.
Readers leaned in and reached out with their own stories. You offered words of encouragement and support. You shared your voices and hearts with us and one another! What started as a small holiday project blossomed into a wonderful community that has now shared in a year of showing up for each other.
This project has become a true demonstration of what it looks like to extend belonging.
As we enter this Thanksgiving week, we wanted to say that we are grateful for this journey and for each of YOU! Thank you for extending belonging to us and to one another. We don’t take your presence around The Welcome Table for granted. We hope you will continue to share your hearts, your voices, your stories, and your welcome around The Welcome Table.
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday this week, think about what it means to extend belonging to each other. Maybe this is the first time you’ve had the opportunity to gather in person for a while. Remembering how to cultivate a welcoming space may feel intimidating. Here are Five Things to Remember When Setting a Welcome Table for the Holidays to help get you started!
Next week is the start of Advent at The Welcome Table - consider what it will look like to extend Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love in the holiday season! This year we will continue our journey through Advent with our weekly Table Talk, but if you would like a daily reflection, consider purchasing the book!
Blessing
God of belonging,
You gave us the gift of one another - of community.
Help us extend grace, love, and gratitude in this season and always
so that we might be a clearer reflection
of your love in the world around us!
A little Table Talk for your table...
Take turns expressing what you are grateful for.
What does belonging look like to you, and what are ways you can carry belonging into the world?
If you are gathered with others, share something you love about each person around your table. If you are using this time to reflect on your own, think of someone for whom you are grateful and offer gratitude for the love they have imparted.
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
Talk about what it means to be grateful (or thankful).
Ask your kiddos what or who they are grateful for.
Have them make an “I am thankful” picture where they can draw, color, or paint the things they are thankful for this year.
Meet our Welcoming Voice!
The Welcome Table Team - We are “The Bunce Girls!” Originally from Lexington, North Carolina, we were raised surrounded by music, justice, and faith. We spent most of our Sunday afternoons gathered around an open table with family and friends where the food was plentiful, stories and laughter connected our hearts, and where the presence of each individual was held sacred. It’s those moments that have inspired The Welcome Table.
To hear more from TWT throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!