The Family Dinner

I continue to be very thankful to have all of my adult children in the town that I live in, but I was recently reminded to up my level of appreciation.  Since I have four children and they have close friends and significant others, when we have an intimate family dinner it invariably fills our dining room.  The level of noise alone from the crowd is enough to make it festive.  When I called for a reservation for the 10 of us last week they asked me if it was a special occasion.  No, just my family.

My parents were visiting recently and we had a number of these meals, both at home and out.  The noise level is impressive, I admit, but I like the chaos.  The conversation  doesn't come to an awkward end, it just keeps on rolling, and because it is family, if someone brings up a verboten topic then they are just shut down.  We are not going there.  That is the key--you have to steer clear of things that you know you disagree on because that is the kiss of death.  The rest is just merriment and nourishment and something to be reveled in.