The pleasure of rituals

Set the table!

For many years in my youth, those were my mother's evening instructions. All of us kids had assigned tasks and, looking back, I think I enjoyed the setting of the table more than the clearing of it. Not that I enjoyed either one that much.

Now I am much grown up and enjoy the pleasure of my family's company a great deal more than when I was young and took it for granted. That we can still gather, cook and eat together is a gift worth celebrating.

Thus, setting the table is a pleasure, creating a welcoming place for each diner to set down to. The settings are not perfectly matched, but that's OK. The people are.