In our busy lives, many of us find that in spite of seeing people all day long, we’re really rather isolated.
We may talk business at work or chat in passing on our way out the door, but the only true way to appreciate our differences and what everyone brings to the table is through living life together. It doesn’t happen without intention, without a routine that people can rely on, like a weekly Sunday dinner or a twice-monthly Friday fire night. In our immediate and extended family, these sorts of gatherings have been going on for years. Everyone is welcome. Inevitably, people come from all different stages of life (single, married, young, old), with different political or religious ideas, different parenting styles, certainly different personalities.
On a cool fall night there is hot soup and drinks, kids playing, fire crackling and good conversations. It is an opportunity to see people with enough regularity to actually live life together, and by seeing us interact with and maintain true relationships with people despite our differences, our children can learn those skills too.
Noel Miller is a stay-at-home mother, writer and photographer. She was born and raised in Chicagoland where she lives with her husband and their three little ones (ages baby to five). She writes about faith, family, and home at www.theologyofpie.com.
