Beyond The Table.

In my English class we had to write a paper on the foods I would miss from home. I was a little stumped about this because frankly, all the food we cook in my house is good. So I wrote about the Sunday Dinner traditions that my family has. That was fine for my first draft, but my professor wanted me to write the paper as if it were a letter to my sister, who hypothetically did not want to continue attending dinner at my grandparents. I enjoyed this paper and wanted to share it with you.

Beyond The Table
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control, known commonly as the “Fruits of the Spirit”, are things one would generally expect to learn in Sunday school. Our family however, is slightly different. Our classroom is not in a church, nor is it in a school or a community center. No, in fact our classroom is in Mimi and Grandpa’s kitchen. We don’t all sit down, grab a bible and lecture. Instead we cook, we eat, and we clean up; every Sunday afternoon. To you, dear sister, this may sound extremely unorthodox and a little ridiculous. Do not be fooled. It is here that we learn lessons that go beyond the table. It is these lessons I’ll miss the most. Later on in life you’ll miss them too.
Love is a thing well known in the Berbaum household. We all express our love in different ways. Grandpa loves with his laugh. Mimi loves with her questions about your day. Jeremy loves you with every punch and head-lock. Fortunately, love is not just a laugh, a question, or a playful whack on the head. It is also being a servant, an idea well known in our family. As kids, our first real “chore” was to set the table, pour some drinks, and clean up after dinner. Mom and Mimi didn’t give us these simple tasks because they were lazy. They did it to teach us how to love. Servant hood isn’t obeying every command at the snap of a finger. Servant hood, as a Christian, is doing something without being asked, without asking anything in return, simply because you love someone. To love sweetheart, is to serve.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is found in Matthew Chapter 13: 31-32. It’s a well know parable so I don’t really have to explain it to you. But does it really teach you HOW to practice your faith? I don’t think so. Christine Albert Berbaum on the other hand, shows us EXACTLY what faith is and how to implement it into everyday life. Any time someone in the family is sick what do they do? They call Mimi and have her pray for them. Any time you have a problem and need some help what do you do? You call Mimi and have her pray for you. The one major thing I have learned from our grandmother about prayer is this: prayer is more than asking God to do something. Prayer is asking God to do something, and then BELIEVING that he is going to do it, and then THANKING him for doing it.
Now, unfortunately, I must speak about the uglier side of Sunday dinner. Every family has its issues. Every family argues. We all know that the family is pretty emotional. We all know that Jeremy and Mom have very different opinions on some things. We all know that sometimes, arguments get out of hand. Do you remember when Uncle Jeremy and I got into that fight, and Grandpa had to break us up? That day was one of the worst days of my life. Never before had I been so furious at someone in my own family. The good thing about that day is that I learned a couple very valuable lessons. First and most importantly I learned forgiveness. The beautiful part about it is that we never officially apologized to each other. We just forgave and forgot. The other very important lesson was that of self control. I discovered that I never want to feel as angry as I was that day, ever again.
I did not write this letter to you to chastise you. I’m not angry or upset. I do want you to realize exactly what you are missing on Sundays. You’re missing laughs, tears, memories, and utterly amazing food. But most importantly you’re missing out on lessons that will stick with you for the rest of your life. Sure, our “classroom” is a little unorthodox. But don’t be fooled, my dear sister. It’s during those seemingly unimportant Sunday dinners that we learn lessons that go beyond the table. It’s those lessons I’ll miss the most. You’ll miss them more.

S3

So college has been good. As far as what LR has had to offer me, its been GREAT! But I haven't really connected with anyone yet......well except for the deaf kids. Ironically, they have taken me in more than anyone else. More then choir people (excluding Gospel choir), more than Poli Sci people. It seems that the people I am most different from, are the ones who show me the most love. I digress. Classes are excellent, most everyone is kind. My professors are good. I got a job. Its all coming together I believe. Thanks God. I came here looking, and I think I'm gonna find it.

Keep praying.