For 40 years the kitchen table has been a place for memories and more [I Know a Story column] | Together

Our kitchen table has nothing wise. It has a Formica wood finish with very strong tubular chrome legs that support the table. makes it strong and stable. Our table seats six people, but the original chairs, which were wicker and vinyl, are long gone.

My husband, Mark, and I purchased our kitchen table at Harold’s Furniture on West King Street in Lancaster back in March 1982, when we were married 40 years ago.

There are many memories left at this kitchen table: birthdays, family meals, holiday dinners, Easter egg painting, pumpkin carving, school projects, dozens and dozens of cookies and wedding cake decorations – one of which I made for our son, John and his wife Lindsay when they married in November 2021.

We also had the privilege of taking our daughter Laura and her army friends to holiday dinners. All were housed in Walter Reed’s Army Hospital, serving our country.

Our kitchen table now has an extra purpose. My husband Mark has Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS), and this table doesn’t move when he puts his hands on top to balance himself, to walk around the kitchen and get up and get up from his chair.

On the kitchen table are items my husband uses to make his life more independent: a metal shoehorn to put on slippers and shoes, a multifunctional tool for zippers, oilcloth, napkins, wite-out to cover up puzzle mistakes, and a dictionary for finding words and answers to crossword puzzles in our local Lancaster newspapers.

Who would have thought that a kitchen table bought 40 years ago would create so many memories and touch so many lives?

The author lives in York, but notes that she and her husband were “children of Lancaster.” On March 20, Marc and Anne Rainier celebrated their 40th anniversary.

If you know an interesting story, please write it in 600 words or less and send Mary Ellen Wright, LNP Editorial Office, Mailbox 1328, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 17608-1328, by email features@lnpnews.com. Enter your phone number and the name of the city where you live.