Bring It All To The Table
These words rang true all my life. Coming to the table was an event.
I grew up in Georgia with an Irish grandmother and a Cajun grandfather. I could leave the blogpost here and many of you would laugh wholeheartedly. Each grandparent full of fire and stubbornness.
But at the table, all was laid aside except enjoying the tempting food – Southern fare and Cajun heat. I would salivate all day as spices and herbs filled the house and overflowed past the open windows to the swing set.
During the winter and spring, Southern fare graced the table. Root vegetables, greens, cornbread, and rich stews. But the summer and fall heated up with fresh seafood from Louisiana. Jambalaya. Ètouffée. Curried shrimp.
More important than all the delectable food was what coming to the table meant. It meant the richness of the food would overflow into satisfying conversation – the kind that makes you feel welcomed, wanted, and loved.
It was these concepts that I wove into my life as an adult and later into my novels. I wanted my children and grandchildren to know the depth of talk-enrichment. In my writing, it became second nature to offer this to my readers – bring it all to the table. Your joy and sadness, questions and answers, hurt and heartaches, imagination and humor, and often your weakness and disillusionment with life. It all spilled out and over a heart offered cuisine.
No one ever left the table hungry. No one ever left the table feeling alone. We brought it all to the table, our appetite and our need to connect with the deep, strong roots of family.
For many of my characters, getting this opportunity to share and revitalize their heart and spirit was a life changing experience. I understood. Bringing it all to the table has always been my offering to the feast. A time to fuel up heart, mind, and soul.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your food for thought, Angela!
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