Plain Wisdom by Cindy Woodsmall Read Free Book Online Page A

the kitchen table. Here weary, hungry bodies are refreshed. Manners are learned. Laughter is heard. Tears are spilled as the weight of the day is shared with those around us. Lessons are taught. Fears are conveyed. Confidence is built.
    A kitchen table holds far more than bowls, plates, and platters. Even now, with my youngest almost grown, I hear laughter at the table … often when my adult children recall all the unsuccessful new recipes I set before them during their childhood. And I hear lively discussions as we each want the others to see some aspect of life from a different perspective—because learning about life at the table is something we should never outgrow.
From Miriam
    On Monday morning I stood at the kitchen table looking at the piece of furniture I was about to replace. I ran my hand over the top, feeling allthe dents and scratches from years gone by, gazing at the splatters of tole paint left behind from countless crafts. Each mark had a story.
    A lot had taken place around this table in the past twenty-five years. I served my first meals to my new husband here. After our fourth child arrived, we added a leaf. This was where we’d celebrated all their birthdays and taught them to pray at mealtime.
    Many Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas dinners had been shared as we gathered around this table. We added yet another leaf when we welcomed our two daughters-in-law, and we extended the table again recently to make room for our dear grandchildren.
    This is where we as a family have gathered not only to take in food to nourish our bodies but to partake of spiritual food for our souls as we have celebrated life, God’s love, and our love for Him and for one another. Here we have shared our disappointments and heartaches.
    The more I thought about it, the idea of a new table became less appealing. In spite of its wobbly ways, I held off making that trip to Zimmerman’s.
    Spring planting gave way to summer chores and activities. Soon we were into the fall harvest, with the holidays just around the corner. My unsteady old table had to be replaced before the next huge family gathering.
    But when my good English friend Katrine offered to help refinish the old table, I eagerly agreed. We sanded for days, removing the old finish, the dents, and the scratches. We took the extension runners apart and sanded each one smooth, then securely reattached them. Then came the staining and coats of polyurethane. My beat-up old table was transformed into a beautiful heirloom.
    On Thanksgiving Day, as my family gathered around my “new” table, I felt extremely grateful for my friend’s help as she’d selflessly sacrificed her time, skill, and effort. I felt truly blessed by her friendship, and I was thrilled to be able to restore and strengthen the most important piece of furniture in my home.
    In much the same way, when we give our hearts to God, we change from the old to the new. He sands down the rough selves, transforming us into new selves by grace, with faith. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

U NDERESTIMATED P OWER
    Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
    —M ARK 11:24
From Cindy
    Some of my favorite childhood memories are wrapped around special family times. And I’m not talking about just when we were on vacation or having a birthday party but during those occasions when each family member stepped out of the busyness of his or her world and truly connected with those who shared the same home.
    From the time I was eight until I entered high school, my family lived in various parts of rural Maryland. In one place we lost electricity to our home fairly often. We were well equipped to deal with the outages—a potbelly stove for cold weather, plenty of goods my mother had canned from her garden, and several