Warm Connections {Day 31}: Taking the Time to Eat With Others
Today is the day my 31 Days of Warm Connections series comes to an end. I’m actually sad about it ending, and honored to have shared how food and people and different hospitable moments are all intertwined.
If we wait for perfect situations or moments in life, they may never come.
If we are on alert, ready to listen to our hearts, ready to extend a helping hand, to put our imperfections aside and reach out even when we don’t feel like it, to think and plan ahead, to take care of our families and our homes, to put our worries and expectations aside … then we are ready for some serious hospitality.
Tomorrow is a new day. It’s November 1 and the hype of the holidays begins.
Hype is not my favorite word, but it really rings true if we don’t keep our heads, settle in to the true meaning of gathering with friends and family, slow down and relax … breathe … enjoy.
This is my goal for the next few months. As we take the time to eat with others, I want to enjoy every entertaining or hospitable moment that comes my way.
Food is a way to connect human beings with one another. It unifies, we share our heritages, and even if we don’t always agree, the main ingredient comes down to love.
Alton Brown says it well: No one will cook as well for you as someone who loves and cares for you.
Warm connections around the table, hearty and strong, help make us who we are.
And they stay with us forever.
Do you have a goal the next few months, for keeping your sanity and being able to enjoy the holidays ahead?
Tomorrow’s a very “exciting” day. Come back to enter to win THIS beauty, a KitchenAid Food processor. Perfect timing for all of the holiday cooking and baking ahead.
Get caught up, Days 1-30 of 31 Days of Warm Connections, HERE.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
These days were terrific! Thank you for sharing such a warm connection with your readers! I enjoyed each post! I love taking time to eat with others!
Since we don’t have a bunch of children in our neighborhood, we have a traditional evening out with friends. I just returned from a FIVE HOUR dinner with some friends. Good food and GREAT conversation!
I am going to miss this series as well! I have so enjoyed your posts this past month Sandy. I was just thinking this morning that I really needed to put a plan into action to keep calm over the next few months, so that I can truly enjoy the time with family and friends. We are adding a college graduation into the mix of Thanksgiving and Christmas!
I have really enjoyed your 31 day series. I found your site through the linky for the series. Thank you for the encouragement and for the great ideas.
I’m with you I’m a little melancholy today also about this 31days coming to an end. It has been wonderful to share with you back and forth through out this series our hearts cross paths in so many ways. Thank you for your encouragement. I love your words here., ” Food is a way to connect human beings with one another. It unifies, we share our heritages, and even if we don’t always agree, the main ingredient comes down to love.” perfectly put!
so true! i love what you’re saying here about food brining people together. it truly does, and my goal for the next year is to do more of that.
This has been such a wonderful series, Sandy. Sharing good meals with good people is one of the reasons I like to cook so much. There’s something really special about setting the stage for a wonderful evening of conversation, relaxation and connections.
Well said, girlfriend. Cooking for loved ones and sharing a meal with family and friends is the ultimate form of connecting. Sharing old stories and creating new memories over a home cooked meal is what it’s all about. Have a great day, friend!
Hi Sandy,
I have to echo the first commenter and say that I too thoroughly enjoyed your 31 Days of Warm Connections. And yes – choosing hospitality over entertaining makes all the difference in the world! Your advice has been absolutely invaluable – and not just for these past 31 days. Whenever I have folks over to my home I hear your words in my head (and I paraphrase here) that hospitality is about making the other person feel welcome and comfortable. When I focus on that, I never worry about whether things in my home, or in my kitchen – specifically – are perfect or not.
And I love the Alton Brown quote that you picked… “No one will cook as well for you as someone who loves and cares for you.” How true! Something that always touches my heart is when my husband says that my meals are delicious because they are made with love. Trust me – my food isn’t always perfect but he always makes me feel like it is. :-)
As to your question…something that has really helped me keep my sanity and stay sane during the holidays… (and I hope this doesn’t sound corny) is to focus on what is really important. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years are about so much more than food, gifts, etc. And on the practical side?…I use the same menu each year. This way what I serve for each of the holidays are all things that I know how to cook well and am comfortable preparing. No surprises! LOL!!! And since they are foods that I usually only make at that time of year, my family doesn’t grow tired of them. They look forward to them.
Also, overall, I find that when my family and I focus on activities through our church, and participating in projects to help others, things just seem to go smoother. We don’t get so wrapped up in all the commercial trappings of the holidays.
Thanks again for this wonderful series of posts and for all your regular great advice to help me become a better hostess!
Have a great week.
Love,
Mary
Yes, thank you for this series! I have really enjoyed it.
This year I plan to cook less for Thanksgiving. I always try to “outdo” myself and last year, i really did.. and then spent the rest of the weekend in bed sick! I missed out on precious time with my family. So, lesson learned. Also I want to involve my brothers in the kitchen a little more, they are pretty creative cooks at times so that could be fun. :)
Sandy, I must tell you how very much I have enjoyed this series, 31 Days of Warm Connections! As always, you inspire me to reach out, abandon my expectations of perfection, and connect with people. It is so freeing to choose “hospitality” over “entertaining”!
I also want to let you know that I linked to you in two posts of my own 31-day series (day 8 and day 30). (Is it good cyber manners to let someone know that you linked to them? Not sure. ;-))
Thanks for the inspiration!