A Special Spot

A Special Spot

My son is the light of my life. The other morning, he came to my room...early. Jon had already left so Price crawled up on Jon's side of the bed and made himself cozy under the blankets. He comes toting all of his sleepy time items. HIS pillow (made of a special minky material), a "buzz", his blankie and a bear from Nana and got them all situated under the sheets with him. He rolled over and put his hand across my shoulder, whispered "I love you, mom" closed his eyes and went back to sleep for about 45 minutes.

It was cold outside. It was cold upstairs and even chillier downstairs. I turned up the heat on the thermastat and asked Price if he was hungry for breakfast. He is like his Mama and wakes up with a grumbly tummy, so of course he said "yes." I whipped out some waffles and some hot cocoa mix. In our kitchen is an island of sorts. Really, it is a rectangular table that is countertop height, right in the middle of the kitchen. I bought a little metal chair from a garage sale down the street for $2. We needed the table for the extra workspace, but it has turned out to be useful for so much more than that. It has become a very special spot for our family. Though small, this table is suited for so much. We use it as a place to mix special treats, chop fruits and veggies and make playdough. We use it often as a spot to put dinner out to serve guests informally and our sacks of groceries land here when they arrive home.

My favorite use for this little table is the time spent here with Price and Jon. Many times in the morning, like the one described, Price will climb up in the chair and watch and talk to me while I move about the kitchen. He eagerly helps me prepare dinner or awaits something hot and tasty from the oven. That particular morning, I made hot cocoa and listened to Price tell a story about events from the night before. We sipped our drinks and chatted, ate waffles and had a few giggles. I could not help but hope that this special spot would remain just that; a place where we could connect as mother and son. My mind flashed forward to a Saturday morning when he is 10, 14 or 17 years old. Would he come down, eat some waffles and chat with his mom about the football game the night before? Or the date he had? Would he still choose to pull up that little metal chair and tell me funny story?

Jon and I have had great talks over this little table too. Sharing a bowl of popcorn in the evening or a cup of coffee in the morning, we will chat at this special spot. The kitchen is the hub of our home. Most days there are three meals prepared and cleaned up there, in addition to snacks, unloading groceries and emptying and loading the dishwasher. It is also where I do most of my praying (while working of course). In that moment I had with Price the other morning, I prayed for this special spot. I wanted to capture that moment and all it meant to me in a picture.

I like my kitchen. I am not talking about the decor, wall color and so on, I like the feel of preparing to serve and serving my family. The smells from the oven, the laughter that fills the room when we are all there together there and the music coming from the radio in the sun room while we dish up our plates, eat and clean up meals make this place the heartbeat of our home. I am so thankful for this special spot and pray that it will be that way for years and years to come!

My little guy with his cup of hot chocolate.
Price; in the middle of telling a story.