Find Religion

I basked in the harvest of my gratitude today and found it created a calm graciousness in me. There is a woman speak thought that says when we steal, it is essentially telling God/dess that there is not enough in the world for everyone. This misconception is fundamentally wrong. There is enough for everybody;  more than enough. The way the world works now, wealth is hoarded, undistributed and the masses are truly hungering for ‘their own’. We can see this hungering in the crime we see in our poverty ridden communities who’s destitute lives have lost hope & meaning.

When I was gravely ill with a serious disease, that Christmas, on Christmas eve, in fact, we got a phone call from someone we had never met or spoken to. She told us her & the 4 H group and the local church had gotten together and got us a bunch of groceries. Boy, did they ever! We had so much stuff that we couldn’t even put it all away in the cupboards! It was a fantastic surprise that came out of no where and made our holiday for we were in dire need of some help. This act of kindness from complete strangers has reverberated in me since that day. The world has tried for many years to take away my dreams, my hopes, my strength and in one fell swoop my faith in humanity had been restored. It’s gratifying to know that one small act such as sharing with those in need can really make the difference for someone. Or for someone’s whole family!

I can’t give grocery carts full of food. But I can make homemade breads and shape it into Challahs, braids, bagels, ropes, pretzels, cinnamon rolls and other delights to share. I want to make it a season of literally breaking bread with my neighbor. As I sit here a fresh loaf of bread is cooling on the kitchen counter. I long to break bread and share with those who may not only be hungry in body but also in spirit. Bread is fundamentally a symbol of transformation as ground grain is brought to rise. I hope the bread (words) I share here can help even one of us to rise above the lip of the pan that is keeping us from spilling over into the world and nourishing one another with our kindness, generosity, thoughtfulness and love. Be someone’s simple, nourishing bread today by transforming someone’s day with something simple, even if it is just your genuine smile. You never know how far it will go, whose life it will touch and how it continues to grow. I want us to break big bread, like the episode of I Love Lucy when the loaf of bread rises so huge that it pins Lucy to the wall from it’s immense size. I want us all to be sharing the best of ourselves that rises to the top and gives the most life affirming and sustaining aspects of our character. Take this as a challenge of sorts. Where are you going to bring the bread of peace & community this season? What form is that going to take for you personally? Let yourself be transformed just as the ground grain is transformed into body sustaining bread and kindness turns into the soul sustaining bread of life.