Gracious Living

(Photo by Eli)

"This is the day of the 'TV frozen dinner,' stuck in an oven, served on a tray in front of the TV set, no conversation, no blessing being said, no Person being thanked, because "there is no-one in the universe to thank." It is the day of 'grabbing a bite' and going on to the next engagement. The art of living together, of being a family, is being lost, just as the wealth of the earth is being lost by man's carelessness in his ignoring the need for conservation of forests, lakes and seas. The 'conservation' of family life does not consist of sticking a rose in the middle of the table; it is a deeper thing than that. However, whether one is sketching a face, building a house, designing a dress or planting a forest, one has to start somewhere. And in this need to get back to 'gracious living,' to real communication among people living together, it seems to me one place to start could be the meal-time moments, and the careful preparation of the background for conversations at that time. Of course one gorgeously original and fantastically set table is not going to knit a scattered family together. But I really believe there is both an art form and a way of life, an atmosphere and a form of showing consideration, as well as a subtle way of providing education and inspiration in artistic areas that is being lost altogether if the meal table always has a bare centre - or a bottle of milk and a jar of pickles!"

-- From "The Hidden Art of Homemaking - Creative Ideas for Enriching Everyday Life" by Edith Schaeffer