Entertaining 788 Years of Experience

The laughter was contagious. The joking was light hearted and fun. They giggled like teenagers. To put it mildly the group assembled around our Dinning Table was a riot to be with. The average age was 78 with ten of us together.

Sitting with my wife and me on the Friday evening was 788 years of experience. Eight senior people from our congregation came for our “Dinners Together” meal. What a blast!

Now for those outside of our congregational setting you will not likely be aware of the “Dinners Together” group that we have taking place in the community. Let me explain.

Last season we saw 66 people join into a “Dinners Together” evening in someone’s home. Each time about 6 people come to a home for their meal together. Each couple or each single person is welcome to bring something to share. Often times the host family provides the main “hot dish” and the guests bring the salad, the buns, the dessert, the appetizers etc. The resulting meal is amazing! You get to experience dishes and treats that you normally would not taste.

The organization of the “Dinners Together” happens when one or two people make a list of all the possible Host homes. A Host home or family is a Family or a Single that is willing to have people over to their home for a meal. The meal takes place at the evening Dinner Meal or the Lunch Time meal. It is possible to do a Brunch as well.

The Host Family List is made by contacting the individuals that state their willingness to be involved or direct recruitment of possible Hosts. (That is one of my wife’s special ministries;-).

Next a list of “Dinners Together” participants sign up to take part. As the program has progressed more people that didn’t sign up are invited by their friends to a meal – they then become inspired and join the larger group. Some have then decided to do the same as their Host did for them – and they become Hosts.

The “Dinners Together” Coordinator places possible names on the Host Family List. The lists are given at beginning of a season and the host family then makes the calls and arrangements for an evening when their folk can get together within that season.

Some Host Families have decided to have two of more “Dinners Together” in their home in a season.

Our Unique Setting…
The 788 years of experience that joined our table last evening was made up of one couple that had taken part before and three other families that had not – two were couples and one was a single.

Of this group last night the two couples may join into the larger “Dinners Together” mixture to become Hosts. One exciting statement made was, “We could do this…”. My wife will call them for sure.

The Dynamics of “Dinners Together”
In this busy world of 2008 – people are alone. There are widows that are looked after from time to time by their kids – but the social life that they have is often limited. The same is true of some of the widowers. There are young families that are caught in their own busy worlds and have little time to plan a meal for others – their socializing is limited because of the swirl of life. There are the busy middle age folk that are caught in life of grandkids and work.

But all experience aloneness… and sometimes the terrible aloneness that even a LOUD TV cannot fill the hole of life!

Further – we all love to eat. We love to go out – but the budget doesn’t always allow another restaurant meal together… and the booth or tables allow only two couples. But the hard part is for a single mixing with couples – there is always an empty chair to remind you of the death – or of your singleness.

In 2008 a quick handshake in a grocery store or at church with a few words that mean little are superficial to say the least. It never reaches the level that the 788 years of experience reached last night.

Around Our Table…
In the course of our experience we have entertained old and young. I told you that last evening the group assembled around our Dinning Table was a riot to be with.

One of the men, in his younger years, had owned and operated a great motorcycle. His stories, in one of our settings, told of his riding that motorcycle while standing on the seat with his arms stretched out side to side. We were spell bound as he completed that story by sharing how his friend and himself – together on the same motorcycle – stood on the same seat with their arms extended out sideways – like a circus act I guess. By then spell bound we heard how the dismount happened. My friend quickly dropped to the seat with his legs falling into place on each side of the motorcycle…his standing passenger was behind him… As he quickly descended his foot contacted the break peddle of the bike – causing the motorcycle to hesitate and begin a rapid slowing…. The standing passenger went over the handle bars.

It was a terribly funny story – in that the man telling it is over 90 years old.

The `girls` would not be out done… they giggled as they told of their antics as teenagers. If I had been listening in on a community youth group it all made perfect sense as they shared their crazy stories – but these were Senior Citizens that had an average age in the early 80s… AND THEY WERE FUNNY.

The stories were as vibrant as you can imagine. It was like we were there with them reliving the events of so long ago.

Spin Offs…
A spin off has taken place from Dinners Together. Smaller settings of folk are getting together in other settings. Couples that are taking a big leap are now inviting other couples that are not as comfortable in the larger settings. They have held their own small Dinners Together.

The greatest spin off is we know each other better. And the stories we now know about each other.

Last night’s setting may have never happened if some one didn’t care enough to say `Yes` I will take part. We may never have heard these stories until the Eulogy. For that I am so grateful – so very grateful.

Finally – if you would like to be involved – give us a call. If you are not near us – start one of the Dinners Together groups where you are…then let us know – Alida and I would love to join your group in Africa, Hong Kong, Korea, California, Arizona, British Columbia, Newfoundland, Saskatoon…. And the other dozens of places where this Blog is read.

~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~