“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Romans 15:7
My parent’s house was small. The kitchen was small, the dining room was small, the living room was small, but it was home. Thanksgiving was always a happy time as we gathered around the dining room table. The dining room table could seat ten comfortably, twelve snuggly. This was fine for a long time, but as my sisters and I got married and the grandchildren started coming along, even with highchairs at the corners, the table was just too small. So . . .
My dad took the picnic table, put some blocks under the legs, cut a piece of particle board the same width as the dining room table and suddenly there was a table that could seat sixteen, and on Thanksgiving Day it was usually full. Along with the immediate family, my sister’s mother-in-law, who was a widow usually joined us, as did my father-in-law, who was a widower. Plus, my mom sometimes would invite a neighbor or a friend from church who had no place to spend the holiday. For a long time, my mom said that sixteen was the max, that’s all she could handle, but . . .
As the grandchildren got older and boyfriends and girlfriends came along there was a need for yet a bigger table. So, my dad pulled the dining room table and the picnic table apart and placed a board between the two, with a pedestal underneath so it wouldn’t sag in the middle, now making room for twenty. The table now stretched from the dining room through most of the living room. As the Thanksgiving table grew, so did the love and joy around it. I think with the ever-expanding Thanksgiving table my parents taught us, there is always room for one more.
As we go into this Thanksgiving season may we have grateful hearts for all that God has done for us and may we all practice hospitality. May there always be room for one more.