The Monday Night Supper Club

Ernest Hemingway once said, “Every true story ends in death.” However, this true story begins with death. I have mentioned before about an unofficial group in which I participate called the Monday Night Supper Club. If truth were known, we don’t always meet on Monday nights, but sometimes Tuesdays or Thursdays and there are no official members…just kind of whoever wants to come eat is welcome. However, the core group consists of five of us that are all single adults and have known each other for quite long time.
The Monday Night Supper Club grew out of the death of one of our group’s mother. All of us being single and she with no immediate family in town, the rest of us knew it would be a difficult time of adjustment, so we went out to eat the next Monday night as a means of being together and supporting our friend through a hard time. After a few weeks, the name was coined and it began to be a regular meeting time. We began to use to time as a time for laughter and tears, for sharing stresses or our jobs and more laughter we used to time to unwind from the burdens of Mondays and life in general.
It was only a short time later that my dad died and following shortly afterward we lost the mother of another of the club. We began to look forward to the couple of hours each week as we faced the difficulties of single middle aged people with aging parents. We drew strength from each other. One other important lesson learned is that most times of difficulty can be overcome with cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, a good cup of coffee and often, words do not even need to be spoken.
This past week, the fourth member of our group lost her mother after a relatively short illness and the Supper Club will be helping to carry her along during this time. Because of illness, I was not able to be with them, but have certainly been keeping her in my thoughts and prayers and will be rejoining the group at the next opportunity.
This concept is not new to the 21st century. We, today, are supposed to carry out the work of the early church when they were encouraged to “bear one another’s burdens.” It was never a concept we thought about in the beginning, but one that we have come to realize and embrace. The people involved in the 1st century church took care of each other through sickness, health, need and prosperity. They also encouraged each other during the days of darkness and death. I’m sure if there was a It was never a concept we thought about in the beginning, but one that we have come to realize and embrace. The people involved in the 1st century church took care of each other through sickness, health, need and prosperity. They also encouraged each other during the days of darkness and death. I’m sure if there were an equivalent in 40 A.D. to cheesecake and lemon meringue pie, they would have been bringing them to the houses where friends needed it.
Over the past couple of years, I have learned that everyone needs a Monday Night Supper Club; that group of close friends that support you, cry with you, laugh with you and doesn’t care when you are at your lowest or silliest point. Life is a lonely place when you don’t have a group to stick with you during the happenings of life. I encourage all of you to help “bear the burdens of each other” as you see the need. Especially if it involves cheesecake.
So for today my friends, this has been the gospel according to Jimmy.