There are some things I don’t want to forget now that the holidays are coming to a close again.

It’s over now, but I learned some new lessons from Thanksgiving this year.  I am a huge fan of  Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving reminds me of a simpler time. I love it because it’s the one time of the year that it beckons us home but without the pressure and expectations of gift-buying and gift exchanges. I tell my kids of my love for Thanksgiving, and they tell me their love for mealtime at our house.  It’s not just fancy meals, either! Their appreciation comes from a certainty that at the end of the day we will be together.  Candles lit, music playing, toddler fussing, milk spilling, teenagers talking, daddy praying: mealtime.

We live in a culture that has largely forgotten the power of a shared meal. There is something missing when we rush a busy day to the next. We think we are saving time when we rush through the drive through again, but really we aren’t saving anything. Days turn to weeks, weeks turn to months, and months turn into years. Where we spend our time is a window into our hearts. It is an indicator of where our treasure is. In Matthew 6:21, we read, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

For me, the holidays are a reminder of how fast life is going by. As each holiday passes, I know I’m a year closer to a quiet house. Mealtimes are markers for me now. I remember, just last year Savannah was expecting a baby, and a year before that, she was getting married, and a year and a half before that, there was a baby inside me— then a preschooler wining for my attention as I was learning to use my new slow-cooker.

Hmmmm, wasn’t that just last year? No, that was twenty years ago. Can we please slow down?

Mealtimes beckon. Time is passing, busy mom. That is the real message on my heart today: time is passing. I ask myself, what are my priorities, what is truly precious in this life? In my heart, I know the answer. The best memories we share will never be in the drive-thru of life. The best memories of life are a sit-down affair, and an affair of the heart, an investment, an open door to company for dinner.  A home-cooked meal can turn into an investment into the life of your family.

The best memories don’t have to be perfect. Mac-n-cheese at the table is as beautiful to your children as roasted lobster. It’s not about the food, it’s about the priority.

So, if you’re looking for a place to start making an investment into the hearts of your family, the dinner table is a very, very good place to start.