Whenever I see the public service announcement on TV about "The Family Table", I cannot help but think of Mayberry. Think about all the wonderful scenes that take place around the "Taylor's Table".
Opie, Andy, and Aunt Bee begin each day at the Taylor Table. It is at their table that many of Opie's problems are discussed. The breakfast table at the Taylor house is a warm, friendly, and inviting place. Nourishing food, family talk, and quite often Barney all together set the tone for the rest of the day to follow. I recently read a survey result that stated that a typical American family now eats take away food or goes to a fast food restaurant on an average of four times a week. That means for many families, the "family table" is not a table at all. Instead it might be a booth where the family is eating in a noisy, hectic, environment quite often along side total strangers. Recalling my childhood in our small town, I cannot remember one time when our family ever went out to a restaurant to eat. All of our meals were eaten either in our family's kitchen or dining room. On occasion we would take a Sunday drive and then stop for an ice cream cone somewhere along the road. Eating together at home was simply an unwritten rule that we all accepted with no questions asked. Even following the death of my father when I was 13, my mother continued to serve our family meals at our own table, even though she was working a double shift at a restaurant in our neighboring town. As you continue to enjoy TAGS, pay close attention to all the beautiful interaction that takes place at the Taylor Table. Whether it is just the Taylor's, or Sunday dinner with Barney or Helen, they eat together, talk together, and laugh together. And you will also notice another very important thing - the television is never on. Kenneth G. Anderson 2906 May Street Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701 715-839-8470 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.mayberryreflections.com _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list [email protected] http://mail.wbmutbb.com/mailman/listinfo/wbmutbb_wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
