Reunion!

I remember a lot of things from my childhood, but the thing I remember better than anything else is dinnertime.  My parents had six kids in nine years, so the table was fairly crowded by the time I came along.  We always sat in the same spots, too.  Always.  Clockwise from dad: Cami, Summer, Lexi, Mom, me, Blake, Brooks.  I'll never know why my parents put me next to Blake, even if I was also next to mom.  That was probably the worst parenting decision in history.  (He teased a lot, and I screamed a lot.)

Still, I consider dinnertime the most important of my life.  It was there that I learned how to be curious and have conversations.  I learned how to think critically and share my opinions and be straightforward.  I learned that it's not really good form to cry and run to my room when someone says something I don't like.  I learned that great food brings people together, and some of the best moments are sitting around a table and talking.  Sometimes those "moments" last for hours.

On Sunday, my whole family will be together for the first time in nine years.  We'll have two tables and 23 people.  How long will we sit and talk and eat this time around?


Thing I'm thankful for: the circle of life?