Column by J1 Reporter Ellie Smith

As my siblings flow into the garage door with ingredients, I turn the stove on, crank up our favorite songs by Noah Kahan, and look forward to another successful Sunday dinner. My sister starts chopping the potatoes and carrots, while my brother fires up the grill. I start washing lettuce for the salad and catch up with siblings about the week we have finished. I work together with my four sisters to assemble chicken, potatoes, vegetables and salad on the checkered platters, while my two brothers crack a joke with my dad. Sounds of laughter light up from every corner of the room.

Some dinners are celebratory, others are serious. The mood can be happy, while other times it is sad, but one thing stays the same- we are all together. Week after week, as we assemble our blue glass plates, top off our tall clear glasses with drinks, and fill the nine chairs in our unofficial assigned seats that we have had since we were young, I am able to realize how thankful I am for my family. I look around the long rectangle table and see the empty seat next to me for my mom. Memories of Sunday dinners from the first 15 years of my life flow into my brain while being surrounded by the family she left behind. As we eat, I am able to see and appreciate how much my family and I have grown with the support of each other year after year.  

If it weren’t for the laughs, little arguments, moments of joy, or moments of sadness I experience when sharing a meal with my family, I would not be the same person I am today. As we come together, relax, de-stress, talk, and work together, I am able to appreciate the most important thing in my life- my family. Because of these routine dinners, I stay connected with my family and remember to count my blessings in life.