My family has changed over the years. I grew up in a house with siblings, and a neighborhood with many cousins, but over the years we grew up, got married, had children, changed jobs and zip codes, and grew apart from some people while creating new relationships with others. The one constant in all this time was family dinner on Sundays with my parents and siblings. Every week since I could remember, we’d gather around the table on Sunday evening and reconnect.
Today that table is bigger, with grandchildren, spouses, and sometimes random other family members or friends joining in, but barring travel or someone being ill, our once-family-of-five still meet weekly. It’s a tradition that is such a part of our lives that I can’t imagine a day we don’t celebrate family togetherness in this way.
There were some Sunday night dinners that were more memorable than others, such as the first time a fiance would join our family dinner, or a new baby, or family from another country was visiting and sharing stories and anecdotes. I have over thirty years of memories built around the same exact oval wooden table, the one constant through years of stories and connecting and sharing. Despite all the changes in our lives, reconnecting each week has kept us close as a family, and now our children are growing up together and playing together, developing close bonds that I hope will last throughout their lives as well.
I’ve read many versions of “The Family That — Together, Stays Together”, and I truly believe that the family that does anything together on a regular basis, anything that allows them to enjoy each other’s company and connect, will be strong. For us, it was meeting once a week, saying a family blessing, sharing our Sunday night meal, and talking and laughing together late into the night, that kept us strong as a family.
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Sounds like a great tradition!
We love sunday night dinners at our house as well.
I love that! We don’t live near any family any more – but when we did, we had weekly dinner gatherings as well. I miss them.
Sunday was family day for us too, but only as a four. To see my extended family every week would be too much even as much as I love them.
I’m starting to plan Sunday dinners with my family. We did Wednesday dinners with my dad’s side of the family growing up and I want to continue the tradition!
We almost ALWAYS eat dinner together. It’s a great time to sit down and just talk.
Lovely tradition! My parents live an hour away be we could still do this once per month at least.
I completely agree with the thought process that the family that does ANYTHING together stays together.
We do the same thing! It’s so important to know your roots and always go back home. It’s good for the kids too 🙂
We try and do family night too!
I totally agree – just being together as a family and making that a priority will make your family stronger!
We still have Sunday night dinner with my parents … It is a great tradition to pass on
we used to do that when my grandma was alive makes me sad that it ended there
What a great tradition!