Here's hoping you'll give me an excused absence yesterday. We are trying to close the sale of our home in Arkansas and close the purchase of our new home in Texas within 6 days of each other. The paper trail was stressing me yesterday.

Remember the movie "Soul Food"? Soul Food was a hit in the mid 1990's which told the story of an African American family and the way the family table bonded them. In the movie, the family gathers as one to share not only a meal, but their experiences, joys, trials and laughter. It was a great movie, capturing the way the family table can unify individual family members into a cohesive whole.

Last night, while the girls were watching Fox Family following their baths, I picked up on an advertisement that peaked my interest. The advertisement was sponsored by Family Table and noted that they are designating Monday, September 26 as "Eat Dinner with your Family Night."

The goal of setting that date is to encourage families to sit down together, not in a restaurant but in your own home, as a family (with the television off) and enjoy a family dinner together. Talk together, laugh together, share together.

Way to go, Family Table! Family dinners together where days and lives are a shared experience are as extinct as dinosaurs in our fast-paced culture. But just because the family table is an old-thing, it doesn't mean it's a bad thing!

I invite you to follow the lead of Family Table and spend next Monday evening around the dinner table with your family.