A Thankful Pause

5867 Meetinghouse Road was a holiday location. The Lynch family home was entertainment central. Easter dinner. Our house. Birthday celebration. Our house. Just because it was Sunday. Our house. Growing up we used to joke around saying our home was like a train station.

On Thanksgiving people arrived in droves. Wintery coats were laid upon my parent's bed. The sound of bouncing ping-pong balls could be heard coming from the back porch. Children raced up and down the stairs. In the center of the house, pots and pans clashed in the kitchen. Laughter rang out from the living room while Grandpop arranged the paper and wood for the fireplace.

Word would spread like wildfire; It is time to eat. Dashing to the table to find your name on a place card was an Olympic sport for all the cousins. Not only were all the leaves put into the long-extended table, but the kitchen table was added together with another card table to completely fill the dining area. Mismatched benches and desk chairs completed the look. Martha Stewart would surely not approve the chaotic look, but the family was together and that is what was important.

The food was steaming on the table while the flames crackled in the fireplace. Mom was not rushing around. Grandmom's face glowed with a contentment as she looked up and down the lengthy table. Dad would clear his throat and the speech would begin. He would read a Biblical reflection. A thankful pause.

Thousands of miles away from the original gathering place, I have tried to recreate this tradition. Why? Check out Psalm 131.

"O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;

my eyes are not raised too high;

I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,

like a weaned child with its mother;

like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore."

Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis wrote an essay called Psalm 131-In Quietness and Trust Shall Be Your Strength. He gives a direct and powerful explanation of this Psalm. "...Two of the essential things we are doing wrong in our world, which is that we do not know how to be content, and we don't know how to be quiet...Our lives, in many ways, are just the opposite of this verse. We raise our eyes very high, and we occupy ourselves with grandiose thoughts. We don't stay within ourselves, within our limits, within our own gifts and talents. We often look to what others have, and what others are doing, and put our eyes on their race, instead of focusing on our own."

Holiday to-do lists can become short novels while the pressure of a perfect celebration scream at us from social media. The massive flood of expectations can wash our peace away. Yet it only takes a second to breathe deeply, and allow the mind to wander the road of positive memories. Marvelous works God has done can overwhelm the shaky heart establishing a quiet thankful spirit. When the soul is focused on the Lord, hope can be found.

Our family found contentment in the moment quietly shared around the table. Yes, the food smelled amazing. Yes, being with family and friends was enjoyable. Yes, the holiday season brought happiness. Yet, there was something about focusing on the word "thanksgiving" that set the tone for the rest of the day.

Do you want to try? Join me.

Lean in...a calm and quieted soul allows room for a thankful pause.

Click here - Scroll down - Sign up for "Stay in the Know" - I will send a free copy of "A Thankful Pause Reading"