The Children's Table


"You prepare a table for me . . .
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the
Lord
my whole life long."

From Psalm 23
The Hebrew Bible


You might have seen it -- the new holiday television ad from HomeGoods, a nationwide chain of stores. In it a young woman, clearly a guest, sits down at a table draped with a gorgeous cloth and laden with lovely dishes and a sparkling collection of brightly colored vases.

Just as the young woman settles into her chair, an impeccably dressed lady -- slightly older and clearly the hostess -- approaches her and says coolly,

"You know, don't you -- that this is the Children's Table?"

The younger woman embarrassed, blushes and stammers. "Oh yes, I knew that!"

The young guest has gotten the message. She's at the wrong table.
There is another much bigger, more opulent and exciting one, and it's time to find it!

I know this ad was supposed to get me out shopping. But it didn't.
Instead it got me thinking about the fact that every table we gather at during the holidays
will in fact be the "Children's Table."

And that it is a good place to be.

The holidays are sacred, special times but can also bring a lot of stress.
And stress is bad for people like us who live with the tremor, spasm, stiffness
and pain of movement disorders.

We get conflicting messages this time of year.
Spiritual teachers encourage us to slow down, reflect,
look inward and take time to honor the heavens as we celebrate hope and peace.
At the same time, our culture encourages us to step up the pace
to buy more than we can often afford,
and to do more than we often have energy for,
and to believe we should be perfect.

Sometimes we imagine that if our Dystonia, Parkinson's Disease, Tremor,
Multiple Sclerosis or other conditions would go away just for a day,
our houses could be perfectly decorated and our gifts perfectly delivered.

We put a lot of pressure on ourselves.
That’s never good for those of us who live with movement disorders
and ultimately not at all what, I think, God wants for us this holiday season.

There are some things I believe God would like us to keep in mind
as we enter the exciting, sometimes overwhelming season of special spiritual times.

First, God accepts, loves and celebrates us all.
Second, whether we celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or another holiday,
we are all expected at the "Children's Table."

All of us are "Children of God" and are invited this season
to nourish one another and celebrate the Creation of which we are part.
We don’t need to feel embarrassed about who we are
or the table to which we are called.
Nor do we need to imagine that there is some other, more perfect table we need to seek.
Whether our table is modest or a marvel,
God will be there.

I encourage you to remember this season and always, that the best seat
in the house is always at the "Children's Table."

Blessings,

Lindsay