![family dinner display](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/6976620963_611201e2ca_z.jpg)
I was asked to put together a display for a church women's meeting last week. My topic was the importance of family dinner. (There were about a dozen displays). There was concern coming from local church leaders about the fallout they were seeing in families that didn't have this ritual in place. So I set to work doing my thing - which is apparently to set a colorful table. I also did some research and gathered together some of the best-received books on the topic.
![family dinner display](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7185/6976621137_98a0105c21_z.jpg)
I have always felt pretty strongly about the importance of family dinner, and I protect ours with the ferocity of a mother-bear. So it was nice to come across so much information that affirms what I felt in my gut to be important. You guys - it needs to happen.
![family dinner display](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6830497940_9d98c4d207_z.jpg)
So, do me a favor and sit down and have a lively conversation over dinner. Know your family better by the end of it. You don't have to set a fancy table (although at our house we think that's fun), but you do need to sit and eat (preferably something nutritious), and visit. And keep distractions in check.
![family dinner display](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7040/6830498144_096bc759aa_z.jpg)
Some of the books and resources I discovered (and fell in love with) through this adventure:
The Intentional Family by William J. Doherty, Ph.D.
The Family Dinner by Laurie David
The Hour that Matters Most by Les & Leslie Parrott
The Surprising Power of Family Meals by Miriam Weinstein
Table Topics Conversation Cards
poweroffamilymeals.com
mealsmatter.org
![family dinner display](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6830498350_8a06c2732d_z.jpg)
1 comment:
I love the post and I love the setting. These last 2 years, Clay has rarely made it home for a family dinner so they have become that much more important to keep so we stay connected as a family, even when we're not all together. But my oh my, has it been work but I'm always grateful for the peace in our home afterwards.
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