Tiffany Dowell
In our fast-paced, ambitious world, many of us are working hard, striving to become better people and to give life to our worthy goals and aspirations. The simplest things can shape us into what we will become and cultivate the kind of heart where the best of aspirations can grow. For Tiffany Dowell that beginning happened around an old kitchen table in a simple New Mexico trailer home, where her family consistently communicated with one another those valuable principles that would shape her life.
“. . . As I look back on my childhood, I realize there was no place that shaped the person I have become more than that old kitchen table…We all ate together, the television was turned off, phone calls were not taken. . . .
“. . . During those meals, we talked. I mean really talked. Beyond the mere recitation of what we learned in school that day. We talked about politics and wars. My parents were open with us about the difficulties that often faced our family farm. My brother and I gave our opinions on the issues facing the nation, and our family.
“At that old kitchen table, we learned to listen, to analyze, to form opinions, and to express them. We learned to converse with adults about serious issues. We were taught lessons about life and death, about friendship, about budgeting, and about love.”
Today’s post is contributed by Seeing the Everyday magazine. For more information, go to seeingtheeveryday.com. For more of Tiffany Dowell’s writing, see Seeing the Everyday Issue No 22.