Thankful Thursdays

For that one room.

For us, that one room is our kitchen. It is the hub of our family. It is not particularly the largest space for entertaining at home but, despite its modest size and closed-plan design, it is where most of our social interaction happens. It’s not my cooking, trust me. It is the mysterious gravitational pull that brings us all there to congregate, whether it’s just the four of us or it’s twenty of us.

In that room is where birthday candles are blown, family meals are shared, Cortaditos are enjoyed, and where toasts ring in the New Year. It is where our kids’ friends gather before heading out to a concert, and where they sometimes have breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or all three. It’s where our trips are planned. It’s where discussions heat up the room and laughter cools it down. It is where the most amount of love is shared.

Although through the years we have contemplated jumping on the “open-concept” bandwagon to give us more space to spread out, it has never happened. I am anti-open kitchen design for a couple of reasons. One, I believe islands should be surrounded by water not cabinets, and adorned with palm trees not pots and pans. And two, I believe in my sofa not smelling like bacon. But that’s just me.

Our cozy kitchen has been the center stage for many of our most cherished memories for over three decades. It amazes me how many photographs I have amassed that document gatherings in our kitchen. So many special memories. And so for that one room, today and always, I am thankful.

What is that one room for you? And what are you thankful for today?

Until next Thursday’s post…si Dios quiere.

“There are times when wisdom cannot be found in the chambers of parliament or the halls of academia but at the unpretentious setting of the kitchen table.”
-E.A. Bucchianeri

“It’s the kind of kitchen people don’t just cook in, they live in it. Just stepping into it reminds me of where I am, and I’m at home instantly.”
-Kailin Gow

“Every corner and room of a house will carry memories, make these the most pleasurable times you shared with your family.”
-Anthony Liccione

“There ought to be a room in every house to swear in. It’s dangerous to have to repress an emotion like that.”
-Mark Twain