I have two words for you today:

Duck. Dynasty.

Please tell me you’ve watched it. If you haven’t, just head over to the A&E website right now and watch an episode. Or two. Or five. I bet you can’t stop at just one.

The show follows the Robertsons, a Louisiana family who struck it rich making duck calls. When I met Korie, wife of the CEO of Duck Commander and a main “character” on Duck Dynasty, at dotMOM in September, I had never watched a single episode. I hardly knew what it was about.

After several lovely conversations with Korie and her mom, Chrys, I decided to give the show a try. Then I showed it to The Hubby. I could hear him laughing from two floors away.

We’re hooked.

It’s quotes like this that have us in stitches…

“Frog catchin’ is the most fun a human being can have on this earth.” ~Jase

“Parenting is a constant struggle between making your kids’ lives better and ruining your own.” ~Willie

“I am the MacGyver of cooking. If you bring me a piece of bread, cabbage, coconut, mustard greens, pigs feet, pine cones…and a woodpecker, I’ll make you a good chicken pot pie.” ~Uncle Si

“Squirrel brains make you smart.” ~Miss Kay

Well, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Anyway, the show is super funny, but that is not the point of this post.

The Robertsons are big on faith and family. Every episode ends with the family gathered around the dinner table. Phil leads the family in a prayer, and then Willie sums up the episode with a lesson learned.

I’m thinking it would do every family some good to end each day like the Robertsons.

1. Gather for a meal. Breaking bread binds us together. That’s why Jesus did it so often with his disciples. It’s not a coincidence that many of my favorite memories of family get togethers include us sharing a meal. Willie {Duck Commander CEO} talks more in the book The Duck Commander Family about just how important family dinner was to shaping who is he and what he values.

2. Say a prayer of thanks. Prayer and gratitude are two of the most powerful forces out there. And neither one is focused on ourselves. They are focused on our Creator and Provider. Speaking words of gratitude help dispel the negativity of the day and bring right perspective.

3. Reflect on the lessons learned from the day, both good and bad. Looking back over the day and distinguishing the good from the bad helps us move forward. If we just plod from day to day, never taking time to assess what worked and what didn’t, we will make the same mistakes over and over again. And sharing our “lessons learned” with the family brings accountability into the picture. You know how strongly I feel about that!

Around here, dinner can be a somewhat stressful time with two slow, highly-distractable, picky eaters and a super-active baby {just being real!}, but the Robertsons have inspired us to use dinner time to connect and reflect. I am working on taking a deep breath as we sit down, giving sincere thanks to God for His provision and love, and sharing the highs and lows of our day together.

Those Robertsons have the right idea.

*****

What does family dinner time look like at your house? What do you WANT it to look like?

 

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