the reflex to save them a seat at the dinner table before remembering they are gone

The Table Is Full Even When Empty

The day is ending, and the house is quieting down. You set the table for dinner, moving through the motions you have known for years.

And then you pause, hand hovering over a chair, because you remember there is no one to sit there. The reflex to save them a seat is sharper than the grief itself.

It is the body remembering a presence that the mind knows is gone. But listen — the light does not require an empty chair to be present.

It was there before the loss, and it is there in the silence now. The love you are saving a seat for did not vanish when they left the room.

It lives in you. The table is full, even when it looks empty.

Drawing from

John, Gospel of Thomas

Verses

John 14:20

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