Reflecting on the Empty Dinner Table

Throughout the U.S., November is widely considered the month of reflection, deep gratitude and heartfelt thankfulness. Thanksgiving is all about getting together and creating lasting memories captured by iPhones and cameras to post on Facebook, Instagram and such.

I love all of it! Family is critically vital to me, and I get REALLY excited in preparation for Thanksgiving Day. You see, my husband and I are “empty nesters,” so the opportunity to gather the entire family for a few precious hours around the dinner table is something that I treasure. 

Thanksgiving isn’t just about food, however … it’s about the time spent together—a lost art in America. Families everywhere are choosing to “opt out” of planned family time over dinner due to busy schedules, overcrowded “to-do” lists and misplaced priorities.

The origin and birth of Thanksgiving was founded on time spent together. Did you know that according to most historians, the first recognition of Thanksgiving took place between September 21 and November 11 in 1621? A three-day feast, colonial Pilgrims were joined by Chief Massasoit and nearly 90 members of his local Wampanoag Indian tribe to celebration a successful harvest and divine protection from adverse elements. 

Fast forwarding to 1863, President Abraham Lincoln, during the Civil War, proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise," to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26, thus making Thanksgiving an official Federal holiday.

If our founders understood the importance of gathering together, then why can’t we? How important is spending time with family? Numerous studies show that teenagers that regularly eat dinner with their families are less likely to participate in fights, engage in illicit behavior involving drugs and alcohol, and are more likely to get better grades and be mentally and physically healthy. Moreover, children not eating dinner with their families are 61 percent more likely to use alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs. And, finally, children that eat with their families are more likely to eat healthier foods and more balanced meals.

So, as it was for the founders of our country … the same holds true today. An empty dinner table does not a healthy and happy family make. Family time is VERY important in the development of healthy family relationships and happier homes. Start filling the empty table, and watch how this simple change can actually change everything.

Thanking God for family....

Annette Briggs