I believe in the power of family dinners. I believe in the importance of sitting down for dinner with family every night. I believe that talking and connecting with family at dinner can be really beneficial for establishing a safety net that is available throughout one’s life. This is a place where you are loved unconditionally no matter what.
Every night around the same time, I sit down and have dinner with my family. We talk about what happened that day, what’s going on in our lives, and we share anything and everything. We do have a rule that whatever is said at the table stays at the table; nothing can be repeated outside of the house.
There is one family dinner I will never forget: the night my mom told us that our cousin Casey had a brain tumor. It started off as a normal dinner filled with jokes and laughter. But then my mom became serious and said that she had some news to share with us. My mom tends to stay composed when sharing bad news, but at that moment she began to cry. She told us that Casey was diagnosed with a brain tumor on her optic nerve that morning. She explained that this is the reason why Casey was beginning to lose her eyesight. My mom said that Casey would have to go through chemotherapy once a week now. My mom cried the whole time she shared this news with us.
I think that if my family hadn’t been sitting down together when we found this out, we all would’ve broken down in our own way. But by being together and connected, we were able to talk it out and share how we all felt. From that moment on, someone would always ask how Casey was doing, if the chemo was helping, if her life was okay.
I believe in family dinners and the power that they have. I believe you are able to connect and share your feelings. Whether its comedy or drama or just plain random, your family always understands and can unite. Family is a powerful component of your life that is valuable every step of the way.