Photograph courtesy of Marcy Watts’ Friendsgiving Feast.
Written by: JoAnn Rash
About a month ago I got word that a friend of mine was moving back to Montana. I have known this friend since she was about two years old. I was in my mid-twenties when we became neighbors. She would come over to my apartment on the regular and play with my dog, eat crackers, adorn herself in costume jewelry and, quite frankly, make my day. She is still just as adorable today as she was back then, and I just had to see her face before she moved back to the place that she calls home.
She invited Dan and I to her going away/Dad’s birthday party. The festivities were being held at the home of her Dad and his wife. We went realizing that I would only know two people at the party and that Dan would know one. It didn’t matter. We were excited to go. We were excited to see our friend.
I fell in love with their home the minute I walked into the sweet smell of an Italian feast. A feast that was made with so much love and care that left no doubt that the people for whom this meal was made for were so very special. Meats, I believe five different types, that had been slowly cooked since early that morning, were being added to a sauce that was most definitely not from a jar. My half-Italian husband was a happy man.
Their home is beautiful. Lots of old character and charm. Their family table was welcoming, decorated with tableware, pitchers of infused water, charcuterie, and baskets of bread. A smaller table was added on to the end of their table to make it longer and additional chairs of all types were placed around it. It was perfectly imperfect.
Instead of standing in the corner holding our plates and making small talk with each other, Dan and I each took a seat at the table. It turns out that we sat across from someone who had graduated from the same high school that we had, just a few years before us, at a time when basketball was quite literally everything. The conversations and food were both plentiful (Imagine extra bowls of delicious meat sauce!) It was a wonderful evening. We loved every minute of it.
Through the simple act of making their table longer the hosts said to their guests, “You are family. We are here to feast together.” We gathered and met people with whom we had conversations that would never have happened had the table only been meant to be used by a few. It was a gift they gave us all.
Create a longer table, friends, it will be magical.
Thank you, Tedder family. We ♥ you!
Giraffe Faith 