HEY Table friends!!
I was away from the cafe last week. And you know what I’ve been thinking about? All of you. Table. All of you at Table.
Even a week and I miss it!! I miss the chaos of the conversation, the smell of the coffee (and taste, obviously), the way folks light up when they walk through those doors. But more than I miss the pieces of this place? I miss all of you.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what community really means. It’s not just a place or a meal or even the people who work here. Community is belonging. It’s knowing that when you show up, you’re expected and welcomed. That when you’re gone, you’re missed. That there’s a table with your name on it, whether you sit down tomorrow or in a month.
That’s what happened to me this week. I stepped away for a minute, and I felt the absence of you. Of us. Of community.
Kate Bowler says it better than I ever could: “There is no cure for being human… but for each other, we are all good medicine.”
That’s us. That’s Table.
And it reminded me that each of us leaves a space when we’re not here. Our team feels it. Our volunteers and regulars feel it. The teenager who swings by on his way to work. The mom who comes in with her babies. The folks who volunteer because they need a meal but stay because they need connection. We matter to one another, often in ways we don’t even realize.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for being part of this with us and building the community you build every day by being a part of this magic.
Speaking of being together… we’re counting down to Toast to Table on November 4th!! This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and it’s where we get to celebrate exactly this: the community we’ve built, the meals we’ve shared, and the belonging we’ve created together.
I hope to be in community with you soon. Because you are my medicine!
Hugs,
Maggie