Staff Notes: Bon Appétit!
By Rev. J. Craig Statton, President & CEO

I remember dinner with my family. We boys sat around the middle of the kitchen table with a parent on either end. There was always a salad, potatoes, a vegetable and a meat dish. There was usually bread on the table and we often had ice cream sundae’s for dessert. While we ate, Mom and Dad peppered us with questions about our day and we listened to them. Mom and Dad made us stay at the table and, “Finish our vegetables or no dessert.”

When we began raising our family, my wife and I wanted this same sense of family time around the dinner table. We ate a lot of pizza; rice took the place of potatoes; the kids still needed to be reminded to “Finish your vegetables or no dessert!”; and Mom and Dad peppered the kids with questions about their day. Our times around the table are a fond memory of my life. With our kids grown, my wife and I go out to dinner a lot more, and we sometimes grab dinner in front of the TV in the family room.

What I have come to realize is those meals were more than food. Dinner was an important ritual of life where we connected as a family.  We not only fed our bodies; we fed our souls with conversation and love.

One of the things I love most about Atherton is seeing residents gather together for meals. I frequently visit them at lunch and join the friendly conversations and laughter. These meals allow us to enjoy the experiences of the day with others. We receive food for both the body and the soul. Come soon. There is a place at the table for you too.

Bon Appétit!

Craig
President & CEO