If tables could talk..

Today we loaded an old friend on to our van and we will take it either to the Habitat for Humanity Restore, or to the rubbish dump. It is the table in the photo above. If it could talk it could tell you all sorts of things about our history.

We purchased the table one day in 1976. A month or two earlier we had moved to Palmerston North where I began my first ministry out of college. We had two young children and we moved into the church manse with virtually no furniture because we had traveled from Australia. My brother-in-law loaned us an old make shift bed base for Jean and I and months after starting we were still sleeping on it. An old sewing table was my office desk. We ate off a small beaten up table we borrowed from the church. There was a second hand store in Rangitikei Line in Palmerston North where we went, bit by bit to buy our furniture, as we could afford it. This particular day we went to our favourite second hand store to buy a bed. Enough discomfort, we could afford to buy our own bed base and mattress. We all piled into the 64 EH Holden station wagon and away we went. We walked into the store heading for the back part of it where they had beds. Just as we entered we saw this table, and six green vinyl covered steel chairs going quite cheaply. "This looks good!" one of us said. "No! We are here to buy a bed." We looked at the beds, but none really appealed and we kept coming back to this table. It had two extensions. It was a bit wobbly but that could be fixed. The chairs were dirty, but they could be cleaned. Once more we went back to the beds. We had a look at another second hand store across the road. Eventually we could not resist anymore. The table and some chairs were tied onto the roof rack, the rest in the back of the station wagon and away we went home. That was 34 years ago.

In Palmerston North every Sunday night the youth group would come for tea, so the table was loaded with food, and extensions were out. We had the young marrieds group ("The Match box club")for meals and suppers. A group of the young marrieds produced recipe books at our place to raise funds for a new chapel. The old Gestetner duplicator was put on the table and pages were printed off, then collated and stapled, all on this table. It took some cleaning to get the ink off it. A colleague decided once he and his wife were separating, so he dropped her and their little girl off at our place. I recall that when I was called from my study for the evening meal, this poor lady, sitting at the table ready to eat, would dissolve in tears. When questioned she sobbed, "We will never have a family table with a 'dad' at it anymore." Sometimes my wife and I would put the kids to bed early, and serve up a special candle lit meal, eat it at the table and adjourn to the lounge with our chosen tipple (Apple cider) for ... whatever. The kids would read at the table. My son and I would read Richard Scary books and we would delight in the pictures full of characters and action. I remember him with his little farm animals, playing farms at the table. (fences, block buildings and sheep, cows, hens etc.) His grandfather watching was quite astounded that already he knew how little calves and lambs came into being... he innocently played out the action with his animals at the correct season, and added the baby animals in the spring! We had certain relatives we used to host at the table, and for some strange reason they would often pick after dinner at our place to have a domestic about something. We once purchased a small net and table tennis bats and the table was transformed into a centre for sport. I have even pulled carburetors, starter motors and a differential to bits on the table.

When we left Palmerston North to live in a caravan as a "fieldworker" for two years the table was taken to an old house we bought in the township of Apiti. We had four children by this time. We so loved coming back to the table and spreading out, after having to eat our meals squeezed around a caravan table. At Apiti we tried a year of country/ self sufficient living with a part time job. On the table we learned to skim fat off goats milk. We learned to make yoghurt and cottage cheese and the kids did homework at the table. We had visitors from various towns come to stay and often both extensions would be on and the table full of noise and children. We often had troubled people come to visit or stay, and healing conversations would be had as we sipped tea around the table. Having been a bit of a country retreat for people we moved south to Orokonui, just north of Dunedin where we hoped to help set up a retreat centre. The table and chairs we packed into a railway wagon and they were shipped to Dunedin. The chairs were badly beaten about in the shift and gradually they were discarded. I had to often repair the legs of the table. At Orokonui and here in Sawyers Bay the table was the centre of the house. It was used for eating, baking, homework and talking things out. Eventually Jean fell in love with a round table in a second hand store and this old table was demoted.

Not for long. We began a program for families and children out at Ocean Grove in an old church hall. The table was moved out there and put in the "Kids Corner" and used for drawing, jig saws, playing with dough and reading books. When we had potluck dinners and special celebrations it was brought down to be the centre of attention again, loaded with food. The people who ran what remained of the church in the area sold the church from under us, so to continue what we were doing, we purchased an old cottage and the table was moved there. For the last few years it has been the place where children and sometimes teenagers did arts and crafts. Sometimes they played with clay and it got all messy. At other times they painted, and paint was splattered and spilled over the table. Sometimes paper machete creations meant paste and wet paper were everywhere. Sometimes kids would bring their homework and my daughter and son-in-law would help them with it at the table. All of the time caring, loving guiding conversations were being held, and often the children would speak of the difficulties they faced at home or at school.

Things have changed, and after many years we have closed the Ocean Grove program and recently sold the cottage. Possession date is on Friday so we were there today clearing out the furniture. Some we are using at our drop in centre. Some is our old furniture we are returning home. But we have no room for this old friend, now quite faded. I screwed up a leg one last time, gathered together the two extension pieces and tomorrow we'll take it to the Bargain Barn, or if they don't want it, to the dump. Whatever way, we will be saying "goodbye" to this "family treasure". It has been a centre of love, support and sustenance. A place where people really "met" each other. A place of growth and acceptance. It has served us well, and served God well.

I hope they can say that about me when I am finally passed on to where ever. "Goodbye faithful friend."