‘being’ more for friends & family thru Sunday Supper

One more thing on my to-do list … ?

Of course not. This was the year of no resolutions. Subtracting, not adding. Of replying with far more ‘no thank you’ …

Why then, do I find myself scribbling grocery notes in the margin of my daily calendar and asking my husband about extra availability in his schedule to have people over? I wonder about this while gently pulling tiny leaves of thyme and oregano from the stem, fresh green scent lingering on my fingertips. As I scoop the final handful of chopped carrots to join the chicken in the pot, I startle myself with truth out loud:

This is not something I want to do, it is someone I want to be.

 The weekly challenge, my neighbor Kristin, are engaged in ~ to weekly invite people over for a meal ~ is not about making more ‘to do’ in my life. It’s about recovering more ‘be.’ Sitting with friends and family at the table over a meal intentional. T-a-l-k-i-n-g. About more than the week’s schedule. And I said it before ~ this whole Sunday Suppers deal is not about entertaining. It’s about caring. And community.

Maybe you, too, want to ‘be’ more with your family, your friends and neighbors? May I suggest joining us at the table?

Here’s how it works:

  1. Look ahead at your week and pick a day that’s open. (Yes, that in itself is sometimes craziness.) It does not need to be a Sunday. Because of my pastor husband’s schedule, our ‘Sunday Supper’ will rarely be on Sunday.
  2. Say a little prayer, decide who to invite and then do it. Don’t wait. It helps to just jump out there and commit.
  3. Count on menu ideas with a printable PDF every Sunday right here. These are recipes to inspire you, not intimidate you. Last week, we had rave reviews from beginning bakers with my video and recipe for bread making.
  4. Click over and like our new 52 Sunday Suppers Facebook page. We’ll dish during the week about conversation starters to deepen relationships. Or maybe playlists to enjoy. We’ll be doing a little of this, a little of that. Things to set the tone for a different kind of mealtime experience.
  5. Partner with a friend. Y’all … I wouldn’t be doing this without Kristin. What an encouragement she is to me! I think maybe you need a 52 Sunday Suppers friend, too! Someone to talk things out, help with cooking or grocery runs, and just do life together. Week after week, this is going to make the difference.

Okay … deep breath.

Are you in?

(We can do this. :)

Here’s to less ‘doing’ and more ‘being’ ~ putting first things first and letting the rest fall away.

Only in the slowing, the sitting down at the table, when His hands held the bread and the thanks fell from His tongue, do the open-eyed, the wide eyed, see the Face they face.

It takes a full twenty minutes after your stomach is full for your brain to register satiation. How long does it take your soul to realize that your life is full?

Life is dessert — too brief to hurry. ~ Ann Voskamp