Dinner Time Song

When Drew and Sam were toddlers, our family started singing "Give Thanks to the Lord" before each meal.    The song was off of Steve Green's "Hide Em' In Your Heart" album with the words coming directly from Psalm 118:1.

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever."  

Daniel loved our dinner time song.  He emphatically would pound on the table at each meal time until we sang.  :)  We all have a strong memory of Daniel doing this as it happened each day...usually more than once. 

Since Daniel passed away, singing our dinner time song just hasn't been the same.  This past Saturday night when we sat down to eat dinner Brent said, "Okay, let's sing!"  Before we could start I said, "I have to say it.  I just don't feel like singing before meals since Daniel died.  I mean we've been doing it, but I just don't feel like it.  Does anyone else feel like this?"  Drew right away said, "I do." The other kids talked about how they had felt this way at different times too.  So I said to Brent, "Why don't you just pray for us today."  And he did.

The next day (which was last night) we had Daniel's best buddy Taylor and her sweet family over for dinner.  We were eating buffet style and so after about half of us had gotten our food, I walked behind and whispered to Brent "What don't you just pray for us."  He did.  As soon as he finished, sweet Taylor said "Wait, aren't we gonna sing that song?"

Oh sweet girl.

And I immediately said, "Yes! Yes, we are most definitely going to sing that song!!"  

And just like that singing our dinner song is back.  Back from the heart...not just in words.  Maybe, for me, even stronger and sweeter than ever.  

Later that night I told Taylor, "Thank you for asking us to sing the dinner song.  That was a sweet gift from the Lord to me." Without missing a beat she looked up at me and said "Yeah, I know."

When they left last night Drew and Sam both said to me, "Can you believe Taylor asked to sing our dinner song?"  We all know it was a gift from the Lord.  He brought about a piece of healing and restored the joy in doing this through having Daniel's best friend carry on a long standing family tradition.  

Thank you Lord.  Thank you Lord for your mercy and faithfulness and encouragement to our family in a time of such great sorrow and missing.  Your tender love and care is undeniable.  Thank you for using a sweet five year old girl to give us our dinner time song back.  

Daniel, you picked a good friend buddy.  A really good friend.