A good day for gratitude

I am feeling so grateful for this space right now.  We just moved in this new (to us) table from from my mama's house (thank you mama!) and whoa man, what a difference it has made having that bit of extra room at the table.  Space at mealtime has been an issue for quite some time.  Our old table was preparenting and since we have added now, three additional members to our dining club, elbowroom was getting tight. Though I am still very attached to the small circle table that used to sit here (this should be no surprise to anyone, right?, because I am sentimental about every. little. thing.), I am ready to move on.  And I have.  Also, this has been an excellent lesson in the geometry of family mealtime.  For five people, rectangles make very functional dinner tables.  Small circles, less so.   It has been very nice during these last few meals together lighting our mealtime candle and not smelling singed arm hair-usually Andy's-when someone makes a pass for the butter dish-again, Andy.  And this all brings me back to gratitude.  Yes, gratitude. 

It occurred to me only when I posted these pictures that I have two reminders hanging in a very prominent location to remind me, and yes it is usually me that needs to be reminded, to stop for just a moment and be thankful for how much good there is.  It is so easy for me to get caught up in the little annoyances that will inevitably occur that I can sometimes miss the big picture.  Yes, just to the right of the "big picture" our kitchen is a complete disaster (which Andy loves to point out).  The dishes are piled up and there is certain to be spilled coffee running down the fronts of the cabinets and all sorts of unidentifiable food items on the floor.  Annoying.  But right there in front,  right at the focal point of that image is where a space has been cleared and all the people that I love the most in the world will sit down and eat together.  We have food.  We have family.  We have such abundance and now, we have a bigger table to hold it all.  

I am so very thankful.