I hope you are all doing well. With Thanksgiving approaching, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on what unites us all together as people, which I feel is a large part of what Thanksgiving is about. Also, I know at this time of year we are all so busy so I will keep this short, sweet and to the point.

There are so many diverse programs that go on at Emmanuel Church at times it feels like all we could possibly share is the building. Lately, I’ve been thinking that we share something else as well: we all share a table. The same tables used for church gatherings are the tables used for common art, the same for the Café Emmanuel lunch, the same for Central Reform Temple Torah Study, and for many other events held at Emmanuel.

Humans have been sitting and talking and eating together around tables since ancient times. The table is a place where we all gather together to share food and drink, it is a place where we can create works of art, a place to simply sit and read the newspaper, but most of all the table is a place to share in conversation. So in the mood of Thanksgiving I want to say that I am thankful for being able to share a table with you, we may have never met but, we have shared a table together, and because of that, we share an important story.

Everybody is a story. When I was a child, people sat around kitchen tables and told their stories. We don’t do that so much anymore. Sitting around the table telling stories is not just a way of passing time. It is the way the wisdom gets passed along. The stuff that helps us to live a life worth remembering.
–Rachel Naomi Remen

I hope you all enjoy your week,
Amanda Rigatti