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I venture to say that most American families are not sitting down, as they once did, to eat regular home-cooked meals. This fact was comically brought to the forefront of my mind when a senior on a local high school basketball listed in the school sports guide that his favorite meal was “Value Meal number Seven”. What an indictment!

Some might say that it is “old-fashioned” to express the thought that home cooking is an important part of family life.   And perhaps it may seem that way to some; times have changed. But being “old-fashioned” doesn’t mean it is wrong. In fact, oft time it means the opposite. I don’t know of anyone who wouldn’t enjoy a good hearty meal, daily, in the company of loving parents and siblings. Who wouldn’t want such a treat? Perhaps it is the sweet memories of such gatherings for those who practiced it, that make them such advocates of it. I know that I have wonderful memories of gathering around the dinner table to eat each night with my family. Who can easily forget the aroma that permeates the house by the smell of a good pot roast, chicken soup, or fresh-baked cookies. It is almost as if the love of a mother, or father,  is wrapped in the smell.

It is a sacrifice to have a mother in the home making dinner each night. For working mothers it is hard to muster the strength to cook when she has put in a hard days work. And with the growth of single parent homes,  it is so much easier to put “value meal number seven” on the table. I don’t blame anyone for so doing. But all of us should gage the value of a “home cooked meal”. It goes far beyond the physical. The daily experience also gives emotional and spiritual nourishment to the soul.  Each of us must make the determination, based on our circumstances, as to the “value” of a “home cooked meal” versus fast food.  Going the extra mile to provide our families with this blessing is of unlimited value.