The Table

This morning, we hosted a "Fall Brunch" on my floor.

We invited a sister floor to come join us, and had about 15-20 ladies come in to join us!

It was an awesome morning of fellowship, community, coffee, and food. We laughed, chatted, shared memories and stories, and had a great time connecting with one another.


There is something special about a table. I love how its purpose is to gather people. We eat meals at a table. In college, we work on projects around a table. During my tea talks, we talk around the table. Tears and laughs, thoughts and questions, hopes and broken dreams- all of these things have been shared around this table.

Now, even though I am in college, I bought a full-sized dining room table off of Craigslist last year. Call me extra, over-the-top, or extravagant, but I did it! The blessing of having my own room as an RA allows me to pull this off! I am grateful! But as I mentioned, there is something too special about the table. In a dorm, students might not get to eat at a table for four years, with the exception of going home for the breaks and holidays- if they even get to go home. So, for me, being able to provide this for my sweet friends is my gift to them. They love it. I love it. And as I learned this morning, some of their most memorable talks were around the dining room table at home. The good, the bad, and the ugly- it all went down around the same table! One of the ladies even opened up saying how there was a season when her family did not have a table and they just stood around in the kitchen for meals. For her, it wasn't the same. The connection and stories and laughter did not flow in the same way, and she longed for the deeper communion with her family.

To draw a parallel, having this table in my room has opened up our conversations a whole lot more too. It is deeper. It is more meaningful. It somehow connects us!

This morning was an amazing reminder of this.

As Christians, coming and connecting over the wood is something I think is so precious. As I type and share with you, I am thinking not just of my wobbly Craigslist table, but the sturdy, strong wooden cross that bore our Savior. We gather around the cross in a similar way. We get vulnerable. We share our memories and stories and find deep connection as we congregate around that "wood" as well.

Either way, I am so blessed. I wish you could feel the gratitude in my heart because it is warming me right through! I have seen so much healing and goodness come from people sharing life with one another recently! Being open and gathering together to feel supported, but also to just simply enjoy the company with another- it is beautiful!


It is simple, but I had so much fun enjoying the presence of these girls this morning. Just looking across the table and seeing them tilt their heads back and watch their shoulders shake as they laughed freely.

Lately, I have been challenged by lots of things. Particularly, that I want to live my days in a way that I enjoy them. I tend to rush through life, with a "barely-making-it" mantra as I rush from thing to thing- leaving little margin for enjoying those small passing moments. I want to stop that. I want to love this life I am living, so that I can love those around me well. So I can love them fully. I want  so dearly to communicate the Father's love to others well.


I hope this post slides a smile onto your face. Maybe even challenged you a bit and made you think... Either way, I pray that next time you gather around a table, no matter who is there with you, that you will be filled in your heart with gratitude for that person. Look into their eyes, and smile. Enjoy their presence. Those little moments around the table can make all the difference.

Go enjoy life, go be grateful, and     L O V E     F E A R L E S S L Y,

Mel XOXOX



P.S. Happy Thanksgiving!