Sunday “Family” Dinners

Comfort food by Rob Garrard. Photo by Brent Boyd.

As a kid I remember a typical Sunday consisted of getting up, getting dressed for church (including my clip-on-tie), attending service and coming back to a home-cooked meal.  My mother got up much earlier than us kids to get Sunday dinner prepared in advance.  When we walked in the door, all she had to do was heat those brown-and-serve rolls.  It was warm…it was home.

I never realized how much I missed that time until I no longer lived with my parents.  My Sundays were replaced with meals out in local joints.  That fast food was dull in comparison to our family’s Sunday lunch.  It didn’t have the same passion and love.

But something changed when I got older—I met friends…wait, I met family.  No, I’m not saying they replace my real flesh and blood; but what I found were people who cared and wanted to be a part of my life.  We gather together to build a new tradition—one filled with laughter, joy, and of course, food.

Sometimes I catch myself worrying too much about how my food will taste, how it looks, or how much my guests enjoy themselves that I forget the human element of the meal.  That’s where these meals come in – no pomp, no circumstance, just close friends enjoying a dinner together.

What brought me to this epiphany?  An amazing homemade lasagna prepared by my good friend Rob this past Sunday.   It was a warm and comforting meal that made me feel…well, at home.

I encourage you to think about the people who you share a meal with and not just what or how it was prepared.  You are sharing a part of you, not just a recipe.