My grandmother (Betty Jones) believed that every family—especially hers—should gather around the dinner table together, often. So, she put up homegrown vegetables all summer for our weekly family dinners. If she hadn’t, well, we might have had to settle for mere store-bought produce. She made homemade mayonnaise because the kind in the jar just wouldn’t do. [...]
When Mike and I were first married, I admit we prayed together more from habit, than we did from the heart. Mostly we prayed together at meals, rattling off a few quick clichés and routine catchphrases before we ate. When we tried to pray deeper, more authentic prayers, it felt a bit awkward, so it [...]
The trouble started just as the waiter brought tiramisu and coffee. He carried a large coffeepot and thick ceramic mugs on his tray. Suddenly, the heavy tray tipped forward, as if drawn by an invisible force, and the entire pot of steaming coffee poured down my back. One of the mugs followed, hitting my head [...]