And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.[1]

dedicated to our three children

Owen Jefferson III, Holly Marie and John Charles

to our daughter-in-law

Monika

and our granddaughter

Atalia Isabel

In these pages, my memories of your great grandparents, your grandparents and your mother are brought to life through the wonderful meals we used to share, and still do. But that sharing is more than a sentimental, emotional thing. It is, for me, an entrance into the dimension of the heavenly kingdom, the Eschaton.[2]

All of life is sacramental, that is, something more than what we see or experience or feel on the surface. There is something more, something deeper: memory, fellowship, communion with God. Where do we learn this? How can we experience this higher plane, this hidden mystery.

It begins in Church, where the mystery has been revealed. It begins at the Lord’s Table, the heavenly banquet. And it extends into our homes and into every aspect of our lives, when we decide to accept and enter into that greater reality. We can actually take that experience of the Kingdom, the light and the life we have received, and communicate it to the world. Our family dinner table at home can become a reflection of the Lord’s Table. We remember the events of the day, we have fellowship together, and we look forward to tomorrow as we celebrate our common union.

Some may say that the life described in these pages is nothing more than a description of the life of the 1950s and ’60s that formed my childhood memories. You know, however, that despite all the challenges of our family life--the fast pace, the work schedules, the school activities--we struggled to make the life described a reality in our home.

My prayer for you is that you will enter into that same struggle as you move into your adult years, that you will feel in your heart, see with your mind’s eye and read in this family cookbook  my love for you, your mother, your grandparents and great grandparents. Most of all, I pray that you will enter into that greater struggle to consistently draw near with the fear of God, with faith and love, to taste the heavenly bread and the cup of life. May you live to see and experience the promise of the good things to come in the everlasting day of the Kingdom.