"Living The Rich Life" Tip #2

As a perfect follow-up to the last entry about setting the table straight from the dishwasher, I would like to impart a tip that I actually thought up myself. What my family ceremoniously calls the "Christ plate," or "the fourth plate," is an extra place setting we put at our kitchen table, where we usually share meals. The idea behind this "extra" plate is two-fold...firstly, it points out that there is always room for God at our table. Secondly, this tradition serves as strong symbolic reminder to our friends who visit that there is ALWAYS a place for them if they ever want to drop by for lunch or dinner. We never ask if "they can come back later because we've just sat down to dinner," but instead we ask, in true Southern fashion, "What can we get you to drink?" Our friends don't often stop by without an invitation, but when they do, making them feel welcome is the very least we can do.