It's a classic addition to the foyer in our homes-the hall table. We've seen it anchor a treasured family photo or a mirror you placed right inside the door to take a quick glance as you walk out to face the world. After you put it there, you might not give it a great deal of thought.
It's your first home, and you need to fill up the empty spaces. You find a table-not one that you eat at, not one that works hard like the ones that anchor the sofa, but a simple, narrow table that you put in place and then don't think much about.
You're working hard, day in and day out. You walk in your front door, and drop your keys-where? On the hall table. Maybe in a drawer, maybe on a tray, maybe just on the tabletop. But when it's time to leave the house the next morning, you know where to look. Heading out to work in the morning creates no drama and no roadblocks. Pick up your keys and go.
You've made the leap, and you've decided to add to your family-in a canine way. One Saturday morning, you head to the shelter, and bring home the first dog of your very own. It doesn't take long for her to greet you at the front door at the end of your long work day. You know what she's asking for-that Holy Grail of the doggie world-a walk. You keep the leash on the shelf on the hall table, grab it after you switch into your walking shoes, and take your best friend out for a jaunt around the block. You put the leash back in its convenient resting place, and you know you can't even touch it without her hearing it.
The family continues to grow, and now you've got a stroller that lives inside the front door. Chances are, you've got baby paraphernalia that you can't leave home without. You found that it's easy to store those things-the spare pacifier, a favorite blanket, the all-important squeaky toy-right where you need them, on the shelf below the hall table.
The kids grow, and every year you've got a new set of school pictures to display. You figured out a trick to doing this-open up the 8 by 10 inch frame and place this year's picture in front of last year's. These moments in time have a place of honor in your home-on top of the hall table.
Every December you pull out the holiday decorations and clear off the surfaces to make room for your old favorites. Maybe you've got a tiny Christmas tree or a treasured menorah that stands in a place of honor one month out of the year. Chances are, that place is on top of the hall table.
The years pass, the children move on, and the house becomes a little quieter. We take things a little slower. Where did I put my keys? Ah, yes, the answer is easy-they are on the hall table. Old habits die hard, thank goodness.
Each year, the things on the hall table are moved around to make way for birthday cards, anniversary cards, Mother's Day and Father's Day cards. It's the place where we drop the mail as we walk in and position the things we need to remember as we walk out. We may not give it much thought, but the hall table stands in quiet service to the life we live every day, every year.
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