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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: In The Kitchen - deadline 7-19-12 @ 9:59 AM NY Time (07/12/12)
Sitting at the table looking out the window, I wondered what I should write for the Writer’s Challenge. I enjoyed the pasture scene with all its natural beauty and splendor. A family of wild turkeys scurried about among the horses looking for grain in their droppings. There were deer, several does and their fawns, grazing at a further distance. The horses, turkeys and deer were oblivious to each other; each group understood their proper place.

Suddenly it hit me. Here I was, sitting in the middle of the topic to be covered, inside the kitchen, and I was blessed to see one of God’s glorious gifts, the natural world, unfolding before my very eyes.

It activated my mind and reminded me of many things that had taken place during my time spent in the kitchen. Many of my most precious memories throughout my life came from togetherness in that very room. This was true regardless of the actual house where it was located.

First I thought of my childhood. We had a comfortable home which included formal living and dining rooms, but they were used primarily for large gatherings or special holiday occasions. When it was just the immediate family, the kitchen table was the place where we usually poured out our hearts and souls.

Sometimes the conversation was joyous and happy, other times it was solemn and sad, but it was the place where we all felt most comfortable exposing our inner selves to each other.

The kitchen was where I finally let go and shed tears when my father died. It was where I showed my anxiety and, yes, even fear of the unknown the night before I reported for military service during the Viet Nam war. And it was where my mother expressed her happiness that I was graduating from college and where I told her that I was going to be married.

And later, with a family and home of my own, it was where we gathered with the kids for most of our meals and family discussions. It was always warm and cheerful, and combined with the aroma of freshly baked bread or cookies it made the cares of the day seem less important.


I reviewed many a homework assignment at the kitchen table. I also used it for disciplinary discussions when needed. It is where I told my son how proud I was of him when he made the football team and where I also learned that my daughter was going to make me a young grandfather.

And that leads me to the present day. With the kids now fully established in their own households, my wife and I are together by ourselves as we look ahead to what we hope will be a long and productive remaining lifespan.

I am retired and working hard at being a writer, but my wonderful wife is still hustling in the working world providing healthcare for our military veterans. But when she returns home each day, the kitchen remains the place where we discuss our day and any issues that need attention. It is the place where no secrets are necessary and we can truly be ourselves.

And I now even find it fun to cook and experiment with recipes. Being transformed into the manager of the kitchen isn’t so bad at all. After all, I have spent an awfully large portion of my life there; I guess it only appropriate that I experience for myself its full practical purpose.

Why has the kitchen played such a major part of my family life? Could it be its warmth, the good food, spirit, and the love that it has produced over all these years?

That’s probably part of the answer. But maybe, just maybe, there is a much bigger reason.

Maybe that warmth, food, spirit and love represents in clear practical terms the central place that our loving and merciful God must be in our lives. After all, He keeps us warm, feeds us with the nourishment of our being, fills us with His Spirit, and loves us always.

All He wants from us in return is to believe in Him and Follow Him. So I will keep Him with me in the kitchen of my life always. No wonder the kitchen is so special.
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This article has been read 884 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Connie K Cameron
07/19/12
Really good story, I really liked the way you ended it.

Linda Ellis
07/19/12
I loved your story about time in the kitchen. I remember many of the same things in my own family. In fact that topic brought back many memories.
Myrna Noyes
07/20/12
You clearly showed the reason why the kitchen is such an important place for you, and I very much enjoyed reading your wonderful memories. The only suggestion I would like to make is that you not mention the Writing Challenge in your story, as a wider audience of readers outside this website wouldn't understand what you're talking about. I do thank you for sharing your "kitchen thoughts" with us, and I wish you blessings on your writing!
Jody Day 
07/20/12
A beautiful reminiscence.Is is right on topic. Add a scripture and nix the Writer's Challenge reference and you will have a lovely devotional.
C D Swanson 
07/20/12
This was such a clever and touching way to bring the topic to life. I loved the categorical style of recall, and I loved the message it brought. Beautifully done.

Thank you. God Bless~
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
07/21/12
This is a lovely and thought provoking piece. I could relate to many of your events as you took me down your memory lane. So much can be learned from the wisdom of those who have gone before us.

Be careful not to mention the challenge or topic as the top ten stories overall will be published in an anthology where the reader may not know of the challenge or the site. Tiny red ink-- use farther instead of further when referring to distance. (a good way to remember is far reminds one of actual distance while the further is more for metaphorical distance)

Your ending is the strongest part of the story. You really brought it all together and reminded me of the importance of keeping Jesus in the heart or center or kitchen of our lives. You managed to take a nice spin on an ordinary topic and place and have the reader feel the importance of it all. You have a great gift that will get stronger the more you write. So keep writing those important stories that God lays on your heart. You will never know how many people will be touched by your words.