Sunday Brunch (8/13/2023)

From the time our children were able to walk and talk, we had a Sunday ritual that involved getting up early, getting ready for church, going to church, and then going for Sunday Morning Brunch. When we were in Door County earlier this summer, Sunday morning brunch was a part of it. The poor restaurant that hosted all 19 of us probably still hasn’t recovered. I was thinking about it this morning because yesterday the family gathered to celebrate summer birthdays – we had five to share. It was great fun. We shared a meal that was pretty good, and we shared time together that was priceless.

Some of my favorite memories revolve around time shared over a meal with family. When the children were younger, we played “Best Thing/Worst Thing” at every shared meal. I learned a ton of stuff about my family from the sharing around the table as each revealed what was most special about each day as well as what each found most challenging or disappointing. How I wish I could have a daily zoom call with my entire family to learn their “Best Thing/Worst Thing” that day.

Time with another is a precious gift. It saddens me when I am out at a restaurant, and I spot a group of people together – all with their eyes on their phone screens rather than the others that are present. And giving our time to be with another is a priceless gift we tend to underestimate the value of in today’s world. Thinking about it, about another giving me a sliver of their life, is sobering as well as humbling.

My family knows my feelings concerning honoring another’s presence. They all know that if I call them and learn that someone is visiting them personally, I will always say, “I’ll call you back later. You need to spend quality time with the one who made of point of showing up in your life.”

It seems like such a small thing to many, but time is no small gift. And the giving of a sliver of one’s life to be with us personally is a treasure. Whether it’s over a Sunday brunch, a coke and joke get together at the local diner, or a visit to our home, today I hope that we give some thought to how we have been blessed by the presence of others along the way, how their love has added to our lives. And I pray that we also recognize that we need to selflessly offer our presence to others: to the lonely, the least, and the lost. If we take our discipleship seriously, we will recognize in our Savior’s example that He understood the value of each life and the breaking it open to share it with others.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.