"Sobremesa"

There is a term you study when you are a Spanish major in college and taking upper level Spanish culture classes. It is termed, "sobremesa". It is what happens at the majority of Spanish households when they sit down to eat a meal. A Spanish family spends not the usual 20-30 minutes at the table eating a meal but 1-2 hours! They visit, talk, have coffee, and never leave the table for the whole 1-2 hours! "Sobre & Mesa" = "at/over + the table". I love this term because I love that it conveys the unity, fellowship, and bond that occurs at the dinner table. I love it because I love cooking a meal and then seeing a family join hearts and spirits over that meal. The meal is only a small factor but what it does is MAJOR! I truly love this result of cooking! You can eat at a restaurant but a "HOME COOKED" meal brings so much more to a family than a restaurant can ever bring.

Bobby has told me many times that he loves that I cook for his family. After a divorce, a family is terribly fractured and his was as well. His relationship with his daughters was very broken (and it still needs a long way to heal completely) but I love that every time we get together for a home cooked meal, that there is a beautiful small step toward healing that occurs.

Last night was Jordon's birthday (Bobby's 2nd eldest daughter). I cooked cumin grilled chicken, herb butter corn on the cob, potato salad, and key lime cheesecake. We had 17 folks over to eat and the fellowship was *WONDERFUL*! We laughed, joked, played games out on the lawn, lounged on lawn chairs, watched basketball on TV, etc. Such a beautiful sight. I think the theory of "sobremesa" proved itself once again.