Photo A Day, Day 4: Table

I have quite a few tables scattered throughout my house. Like most people, I have a kitchen table, a dining room table, and a coffee table, plus various assorted end and side tables. In the kids’ playroom, there is a small round table that we do art projects on. My husband’s computer sits on a table rather than a desk, and our office also contains a 6-foot folding table that is currently covered with various bits of random detritus (including, at the moment, two wrapped birthday gifts, a sleeve of tennis balls, a roll of paper towels, a plastic funnel, a stack of blank CDs, a box of computer and video equipment, and a box of…boxes).

But the table that spoke to me most eloquently this morning as I considered subjects for today’s photo was this one. 

I never really finished clearing it completely after my son’s birthday party on Saturday, and it looks so forlorn with its rumpled, askew placemats and stubbornly cheerful sunflower centerpiece. A small stain on one of the placemats and a few unbrushed crumbs on the table whisper of the celebration past. An empty crockpot and a pair of salt and pepper shakers are the only remainder of a delicious meal shared by the family. And the sheer number of placemats reminds me of my delight that both my mother-in-law and my father-in-law were able to join us despite recent health issues.

It’s just a table – and a messy, uncleared one at that. But it speaks of so much more.