One Friday afternoon, as I was walking home with Peter after school, he said he wanted to have a friend come over. We talked about when, and decided that Sunday afternoon or evening could work. And we talked about whom to invite, and decided which friend he wanted to play with him -- Nathan.
Later, as we talked about this with Kathleen, I asked, “Peter, would you like us to invite just Nathan over to play on Sunday, or would you like us to invite his whole family to come for dinner?” He was excited about having the whole family join us for dinner – and for the opportunity to play with his friend and his friend’s brothers.
The excitement was not confined to Peter. It turns out Nathan's parents, Robert and Jen, gladly accepted the invitation. A night off from preparing a meal can be a blessed relief when you have three sons under 6!
It was a great evening: Peter and the boys went upstairs to play, while the adults talked in the kitchen. The menu was simple: tacos with all the fixings. In addition, Jen and Robert brought along homemade angel food cake and a bottle of wine. And while the tacos were not gourmet – or even an authentic version of Mexican street food – they hit the spot. And Peter’s friend Nathan, who is normally a picky eater, ate two – something of a minor miracle.
For the next several days outside the school as we were waiting for our sons, Jen commented on how much they enjoyed the meal. She was amazed at how much calmer dinner was than normal with three young boys. The truth is, that Sunday’s taco dinner with friends was calmer than many of our dinners, too – and we only have one son!
What did I learn from that taco dinner?
+ Peter – and other children – understands the need for connection with friends. Many adults at times forget. Perhaps we should let little children lead us to have meals be more social.
+ For a real celebration, focusing on the people around the table is more important than focusing on what is on the table. We could have ordered a pizza, and still had a celebration.
+ A dinner with friends can also include a spiritual dimension, even when your friends are not members of the same church where you are a member. If you are the host and you normally pray before meals, pray when you have company. (Of course, be mindful of who is at the table with you. For example, we did not sing one of our usual mealtime prayers, because that would have involved teaching our guests the prayer. Instead, I prayed in a way that not only thanked God for the food and for the day, but also for our friends and the opportunity to be together.)
+ Inviting others to eat with us is to be a blessing for the guests and for the hosts.
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