Most of us have that one spot in our house where we accumulate things. Mail, keys, lip balm, sucker sticks, newspapers, and many other items get thrown into a space for you to manage later. Much later. Or once a year before certain people visit.

Where I live, there is a space just inside the door that collects miscellaneous items. The peninsula of the kitchen bar is supposed to be an alternate place to eat, but it holds anything I bring in the door until I put it in its place. Except sometimes I don’t put everything away. After all, who has the time to shelf the groceries, look through the mail, and read all the papers sent home from school when you’re tired because you’ve been in the public, your husband will be home from work any minute, and the room explodes into chaos because your little ones haven’t eaten in a full thirty minutes?

I call the spot that seems to attract a multitude of items “Nana’s Table”. Of course, that is a curious designation, but there is a reason for the assignment. Some of my favorite times were around my nana’s table. My nana was my father’s mother, and her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren enjoyed visiting her open home. She always fixed the most delicious food and conversations were shared around her table.

There was always a section of the table that was not accessible except on holidays. The table was pushed against the wall, and papers, mail, magazines, and automotive parts (when my grandfather was alive) were piled on it. No one ever cared about what was on that side of the table. We were always too busy sharing food and fun on the other side.  

Nana had many visitors who came into the back door and sat down at the table. Her siblings, friends, and other relatives were common additions to the innocuous gossip, county and family announcements, and cheerful conversations that circulated around its wooden barriers.

In fact, after my nana passed away, my aunt kept the kitchen table as a reminder of all the wonderful times we shared. Is it still a place where many things are placed? I’ll never tell. No matter it’s purpose now, I’m certain it is treasured as a reminder of the precious love and joyous conversations that have become etched in the hearts of everyone who sat around it. 

Do you have a place that collects papers, and other items, that you accumulate over time? Maybe it’s the top of an entertainment center, to keep important documents and receipts away from sticky fingers as they explore, or perhaps you have your own “Nana’s Table” with bills and softball calendars. Whatever space you utilize, it’s certain to be a spot that documents your growth as an individual or a family. You should not look at it as a never ending compilation of rubbish. Instead, you can consider it a wonderful place that records your life and events as they unfold throughout your days.