Short and Sweet- “Daddy, you can be Jesus!”

Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well and I hope you enjoy this week’s “Short and Sweet,” featuring a hilarious supper time conversation with my family.

So sit back, pour up a coffee or tea, grab a lassie bun or biscuit, and enjoy another “Short and Sweet” from the Eason Clan!

Breaking of the Bread

I love supper time. It’s sometimes the quietest time of the day, as the children have their mouths full. I also enjoy it because it’s a time for us to all gather around the table and be together. Studies have shown the importance for families sharing a meal together at the table:

One study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that kids who regularly enjoyed family meals were less likely to experience symptoms of depression and less likely to get into drug use.

https://www.fatherly.com/health-science/6-reasons-eating-family-dinner/amp/

As I child I remember my family would gather around the table and discuss our day ranging from school, work and random topics. Some conversations were serious in nature and others we more comical, regardless it was healthy dialogue between us.

At our own table I usually end up telling a story or two about when I was younger, much to the enjoyment of Benaiah and Railene. Other times Melissa and I just sit there trying to manage the children, ie. “stop touching your brother”, “don’t put that all in your mouth”, “stop throwing your food” etc. However earlier this week as we sat at the table, Benaiah said something that caught us off guard.

Melissa had made a beautiful pot of spaghetti, or as Railene calls it, “Sketti.” It’s one of those dishes that usually pleases everyone, so it’s a go-to for our household. As we were eating our meal, Melissa got up from the table to get some homemade bread for the children. She took a large piece (that Isaac earlier had hauled off the counter and had gnawed on it) and proceeded to break it in half. Benaiah then shouted out, “Hey! Let’s pretend we are having Passover!”

Background information. For those of you that might not be familiar with Passover, it is a Jewish festival where the Jews commemorate the last meal that their ancestors had while in captivity in Egpyt, just before the Lord sent the last plague that ended up setting the Israelites free. Passover was also celebrated by Jesus, himself a Jew, in the New Testament of the Bible. This famous event is known to the Christian’s as “The Last Supper.” During the meal, since it was Passover, Jesus traditionally broke the bread with the Disciples.

Benaiah’s exclamation caught me off guard. When he saw the bread coming, I was expecting something more along the lines of, “I want some please!” not “Let’s have Passover.”

“Let’s pretend one of us is Jesus,” Benaiah said. “I want to be James!”

“I want to be Thomas!” Railene exclaimed.

Benaiah pointed at me, “Daddy, you can be Jesus!”

“Who is Mom going to be?” I asked.

“Oh she can be Bartholomew, Judas, or Matthew the Tax collecter.” Benaiah stated.

I get to be Jesus, while Melissa is A) One of the least talked about of Disciples in the Bible. B) The disciple who betrayed Jesus. C) A former tax collector (everyone in society despised those folk).

A smirk came across my face as I turned to Melissa, who in reply gave me “the look.” You know, the look that says, “You know where the couch is, right?”

*Gulp*

‘I better play this part right.’ I thought to myself.

I took the bread and said with my deepest voice, “Thank you Lord for this bread.” I then broke it and said, “Let us eat.”

Everyone went silent.

In total reverence, Benaiah and Railene donned the most concentrated faces and slowly began to chew on their bread.

Meanwhile on the other side of the table the Twins were wolfing into their bread and spaghetti. It was at this moment I said a little prayer to myself, “Thank you God for my beautiful children.”

Today I am thankful for our supper time conversations. You just can’t replace family together. It doesn’t matter if you have a fancy meal or a pack of Kraft Dinner/Annies Mac and Cheese. If everyone is together than that’s what matters most.

I hope you have a great day, and I’ll see you next week for another Short and Sweet!

Christian