The dream of every mom is to serve meals that are appreciated to a happy family. Thelma Brown was a good cook, and she knew how to serve a tasty meal. But sometimes one or more of her children came to dinner in a bad mood and made the meal unpleasant for everyone.
She wondered What can I do to make sure that everyone comes to the table with a good attitude?
New rule at dinnertime
So she started to serve “No Complaint Dinners.” She told her family that their conversation at the table had to be limited to statements that centered on thankfulness.
She soon found that when her children’s minds turned in the right direction, it was amazing how many things they could find that made them happy.
Learning to chat
The youngest family members needed help at first to come up with their stories. But this, too, turned into blessing when family members began to assist one another in finding proper “table talk.”
Good food consumed with joy and laughter makes the rest of the day go better.
What the Bible says
“Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife” (Prov. 17:1).
Today’s prayer
This beautiful prayer written by Robert Louis Stevenson in the nineteenth century (and updated in today’s language) is a good prayer to pray for our families:
Giving thanks
“Lord, look at our family altogether here. We thank You for this home we live in; for the love that unites us; for the peace we experienced today; for the hope we look forward to tomorrow; for the health, the work, the food, and the bright skies that make our lives delightful; for our friends in all parts of the earth.
Pursuing peace
Let peace abound in our small company. Purge out of every heart the lurking grudge. Give us grace and strength to forbear with each other and to persevere in our responsibilities. We are all offenders: give us the grace to accept and to forgive other offenders. We are all forgetful: help us to bear cheerfully the forgetfulness of others.
Receiving courage, innocence and strength
Give us courage and glad hearts and a quiet mind. Spare to us our friends, soften to us our enemies. Bless us, if possible, in everything we attempt with an innocent heart. If that is not possible, give us the strength to encounter what comes so that we may be brave when in danger, reliable when in trouble, temperate when angry, and in all the changes of our fortune – even at the gates of death – loyal and loving to one to another.
Just like clay to the potter, or like a windmill to the wind, as Your children we beg You to help us and give us these mercies for Christ’s sake. Amen.”
© Laura Jane Cerling 1998
You can find other stories by Laura Jane Cerling in
My Roots Go Back to Loving and other stories from Year of the Family in the Bookstore
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Double Minded Doggie: a faith based Beatitudes story from the Story Powerline
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Hill of Woman's Fidelity: a faith based Beatitudes story from the Story Powerline
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In Praise of Naps: tips from the Parent Powerline
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Grandpa Thure Cerling, Part 2: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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Grandpa Thure Cerling, Part 1: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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The Way We Homeschooled, Part 1 Balance: from the Parent Powerline
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Ruby Bridges, part 2: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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Ruby Bridges, part 1: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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Naaman, Rich in Money and Presumption: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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The Hundred Chart: math lesson tips from the Parent Powerline
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Turned Around: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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Household Management During COVID-19 Time: tips from the Parent Powerline
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Dreaming of Anita Jo: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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No Complaint Dinners: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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DIY Plumbing: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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My Two Dads, part two: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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My Two Dads, part one: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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Cantaloupe Crop Disaster: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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How the Camel Got His Hump: a retold faith based story
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All Things Bright and Beautiful: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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One Dollar for a Donut: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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Star of Wonder
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Zechariah
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Christmas Cookies: a a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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First Thanksgiving, Part 3: Gifts & Gratitude (a faith based story from the Story Powerline)
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Rescuing my Family in Wartime, Part 3: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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Rescuing my Family in Wartime, Part 2: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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Grandma Time: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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The Love & Diaper (Nappy) Connection
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Belshazzar: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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My Mysterious Relative & the Missing Paycheck: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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Keeping in Touch with Cousins: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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How the Ostrich Got His Long Neck: a faith based retold story from the Story Powerline
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When Life Goes Up in Smoke: a faith based story from the Story Powerline
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