The Color of Acceptance

“You are imperfect,

permanently and inevitably flawed.

And you are beautiful.” 

(Amy Bloom)

A couple of weeks into my time working with Anna through tax season I had an epiphany. I have, for a long time, struggled with anxiety when confronted with circumstances that involve a steep learning curve. The second week of my short admin career was painted upon a canvass of anxiousness and gut-churning. I didn't know why I felt this way, but I knew it was an old feeling, long familiar. Coffee with friends later in the week brought to light an aspect of my being that I have never understood.

“The most terrifying thing

is to accept oneself completely.” 

(C.G. Jung)

Since grade one I have struggled to process the flow of information with which I am presented. Turns out that it's not my ability to understand that is in question, but rather the volume and speed at which I am receiving new information, and thus my ability to incorporate it. My brain, it seems, likes to digest new things in small amounts. For all of my nearly 50 years I have considered this to be a great flaw - a failing of sorts, easily moving to shame when I don't understand procedures or instructions, when I feel "stupid."

Now though, I am beginning to see that I function just fine - at my own pace. In fact, a spark of respect is forming within me for the grade-one boy who struggled on through a seeming torrent of new learnings and did not quit. Bit by bit life is teaching me to accept the fabric of which I am woven - threads whole and threads worn, or even broken. As I grow I am challenging my own potential, even as I accept my limitations.

"'You have peace,' the old woman said,

'when you make it with yourself.'"

(Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven)

Perhaps being human means that we are, at the same time, creatures dancing with both possibilities and restrictions. We excel in one area even as we struggle with another. What is effortless for me frustrates someone else; what befuddles me comes seamlessly to another. We do not all have the same gifts or opportunities, nor do we always share common challenges or struggles. We do, however, all have some gifts to share, and some limitations within which we live. 

“Being challenged in life is inevitable,

being defeated is optional.” 

(Roger Crawford)

We all spend too much time and energy beating ourselves up over what we do not like about our bodies, jobs

, relationships, or thoughts... Instead, we could invest that energy into being our best, accepting the aspects we consider flawed, and working to change the bits that are changeable. At the end of the day, how we treat ourselves is a reflection of the way we will relate to others. Jesus challenged us with the notion that the Love through which we relate to our neighbor will be grounded upon the Love that we have for ourselves. 

As I grow to more deeply accept myself I am growing to more deeply accept the people around me - and this is a wondrous positive ripple in our world. Be gentle with you today - you are a gift of Love to the world, just as you are.

I leave the last word to Marilyn Monroe:

“Wanting to be someone else

is a waste of the person you are.” 

(Marilyn Monroe)

The color of acceptance...

falling into grace.

Self-judgement

chains

the heart

Love

breaks

chains

Breathe

Pray

Laugh

To Ponder Further:

From the Bible: "Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me..." (Psalm 139.16)

From Taoism: “Because one believes in oneself, one doesn't try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn't need others' approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.”
― Lao Tzu

From Buddhism: "Searching all directions with one’s awareness, one finds no one dearer than oneself. In the same way, others are fiercely dear to themselves.
So one should not hurt others if one loves oneself." (Rājan Sutta: The King" [Ud 5.1], translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu)

The Color of Sex 

“A sex symbol becomes a thing.

I hate being a thing.” 

(Marilyn Monroe)

It's a bit premature, but I was thinking about chickweed recently - particularly its propensity for rapid reproduction. One plant, maturing in five to six weeks, can produce up to 25,000 seeds! Seriously - how do you keep something curbed that is filled with such vitality?

While most gardeners consider chickweed (also called stitchwort, winterweed, or stellaria) as an undesirable garden guest, it is a wonderful medicinal herb to include in our summer feasting. According to various web-resources, chickweed can be used as a vegetable or as a salad green. The whole plant is used to treat cuts, and also to relieve itching caused by eczema and psoriasis. Chickweed is also reputed to be good for rheumatism. Overall, a wonderful expression of Love's healing presence in our natural world.

Still, healing properties aside, I don't want the entire garden covered with chickweed; if left unattended it will choke out the life of other desirable plants. Which brings us to this week's theme - sexuality.

The gift of human sexuality and physical intimacy is very much like chickweed. Loving touch has wondrous healing potential within the context of loving relationships. Besides the biological necessity of propagating the species, sexual intimacy can be a symbol of the rich nuances of a couple's Love. Emerging from the playful heart, physical Love is an unparalleled gift inherent to our experience in this incarnate world. 

“I have no objection to anyone’s sex life

as long as they don’t practice it in the street

and frighten the horses.” 

(Oscar Wilde)

However, like chickweed, sexuality has a terrible propensity for mass expression and proliferation. In the last century we have seen the dissemination of sexual imagery spread to infiltrate every aspect of our culture. Sex is used to sell all manner of products, with seductive pictures and video plastered on billboards, TV commercials, movies, and even within prime-time TV viewing. Like a noxious weed, sexuality in its most vulgar forms has crept across the landscape of our lives. 

“A girl in a bikini is like having a loaded gun on your coffee table -

there's nothing wrong with them, but it's hard to stop thinking about.” 

(Garrison Keillor)

And there's the problem - especially for men. Sex is constantly and flagrantly before us, and the overt message is that we should have sex with whomever, whenever we want it. To such a degree is sexuality flaunted that other dynamics of human relating are choked out. Sex becomes all that is important, the only indicator of relational health. Like chickweed, sex overgrows the garden of our relationships, consuming the other delicate plants that are essential to our well-being. Put frankly, there are more important elements to human relationships than sex! However, if we read any magazine, billboard, romance novel, or newspaper we will be lead to believe that sex is all there is to a relationship. Paul states it eloquently in Corinthians, as translated in the "The Message":

"There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As

written in Scripture, 'The two become one.' Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never 'become one.'.. The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body."

(1 Corinthians 6:18 "The Message")

I am tired of being bombarded by sexual imagery everywhere I look, tired of my male sexual triggers being provoked by the noxious weed of this world's obsession. Our sexuality is a gift, full of life-giving, healing potential. Used in the right dose, like chickweed, it builds us up, strengthens the heart and soul, and reflects the image of Love within. Left to run rampant, as it has, it chokes out the joy of our beautiful bodies. I pray that we will find a way to prune back this plant to its rightful place within our lives, to a place that grows healthy families, and healthy communities. 

I leave the last word to novelist Jack Kerouac

“Boys and girls in America have such a sad time together;

sophistication demands that they submit to sex immediately 

without proper preliminary talk.

Not courting talk — real straight talk about souls,

for life is holy and every moment is precious.” 

(Jack Kerouac, On the Road)

The color of sex...

longing of the body, shining of the soul

Rain

is good

until it's a flood

Air gives life

until hurricanes blow

Sun

we must have

but not sun alone

all things

in balance

all

in proportion

Breathe

touch

Love

To Ponder Further:

- From the Bible: "That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh." (Genesis 2.24)

- From Islam: "Is he who relies on a clear proof from his Lord like those for whom theevil that they do seems pleasing while they follow their own lusts?" (Qur'an 47.14)

- From Confucianism: "Confucius said, "I have never seen anyone whose desire to build up his
moral power was as strong as sexual desire."" (Analects 9.17 and 15.12)

The Color of New Beginnings

“For last year's words belong to last year's language

And next year's words await another voice.

And to make an end is to make a beginning."

(T.S. Eliot, Little Gidding)

The last year and a half has been an exploration of life's alleys and avenues, most of which were paths entirely unplanned from my perspective. After leaving parish work I had no distinct destination in mind, outside of resting and getting my feet back under me. It is not easy to retool from parish work into the general work force; while the wisdom and skills that fermented through church work are applicable in numerous settings, a church work resume is challenging to sell to non-religious employers. 

Nonetheless, I have been attentive to opportunities as they have arisen, and this week witnesses yet another twist in the path. My friend Mary drew my attention to a job posting a few weeks back. Though I dismissed it at first I kept coming back to the ad, pondering possibilities. So, I applied, was interviewed, and subsequently offered the position of grief and bereavement coordinator for the Hospice Society of Camrose and District. 

“You raze the old to raise the new.” 

(Justina Chen, North of Beautiful)

Though they can be painful, and often unsettling, life's changes are always an intricate dance of grief and hope. Letting go of previous experiences draws us onto that old familiar road of sorrow - grieving what was, even as we may be fearful of, or longing for the unknown path ahead. And then comes a doorway along the path; unforeseen ventures beckon, ripe with potential. Pausing in the glen of yesterday's grief too long will mean that today's opportunity will pass us by. There is a time for grief, and grieve we must; even more so there is a time for new life, new beginnings.

“But there's a beginning in an end, you know?

It's true that you can't reclaim what you had,

but you can lock it up behind you.

Start fresh.” 

(Alexandra Bracken, The Darkest Minds)

Our yesterday's are the soil from which grows the fruit that is today's wisdom. If we look back too long as we move ahead we will smack into the doorpost that is the next opportunity. It does take some courage to plant our feet on the path, to sojourn to places unknown. Is that not, however, a delicious and flavourful part of life - new beginnings, life from the ashes of the old?

Perhaps you are contemplating a new start? Take time to bid farewell to what was; grieve what has been razed, and then orient your toes in the direction of the star that draws you. You are a beautiful soul, and a new beginning might just be waiting to receive your gifts and and the Love that is you.

I leave the last word to author, Cynthia Occelli:

“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression,

it must come completely undone.

The shell cracks,

its insides come out

and everything changes.

To someone who doesn't understand growth,

it would look like complete destruction.”

(Cynthia Occelli)

The color of new beginnings...

deep sighs, deep breaths.

Wake

up

see

what

is 

before

you

Pause

Breathe

Listen

To Ponder Further:

- From the Bible: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29.11)

- From Judaism: "Repentance makes man a new creature; hitherto dead through sin, he is fashioned afresh." (Midrash, Psalms 18)

- From Buddhism: "Although his parents were unwilling and tears poured down their cheeks, the recluse Gotama, having cut off hair and beard and donned saffron robes, went forth from home into homelessness." (Digha Nikaya i.115)

The Color of Revenge

“I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for.” 

(J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)

High school gym class was, for me, an exercise in fear. Our phys. ed. teacher willingly turned a blind eye to numerous incidents of bullying, and participated by adding his own belittling comments when they might elicit a laugh from the class. That was decades ago, yet I still remember the gut-clenching feeling of heading down the hall to the gym. I have often thought about going back in time as I am now... to do what? Bully the bullies? Settle the score?

Hunger for revenge has been the catalyst for a cascade of human suffering that spans eons. One clan wounded another and a blood-score had to be settled. So called, honor killings have claimed the lives of countless victims across numerous cultures. What does it all accomplish, this eye-for-an-eye perspective? Is life somehow restored, wounds made whole if someone feels pain at our hands?

“Not forgiving

is like drinking rat poison

and then waiting for the rat to die.” 

(Anne Lamott, Travelling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith)

The ego is utterly convinced that exacting revenge is just, that whatever wrong we have suffered will be balanced by the wounding of the perpetrator. The reality is, as Anne Lamott notes above, quite different. The hatred to which we cling in our hearts, the cold dish of revenge that awaits our delivery, have no redemptive or renewing power. In fact, those who have enacted vengeance seldom grow as a consequence of their actions. Instead, they are left empty, hollowed by the siren-call of false justice. 

“Anger, resentment and jealousy

doesn't change the heart of others;

it only changes yours.” 

(Shannon L. Alder, 300 Questions to Ask Your Parents Before It's Too Late)

The voice within that demands revenge does not have our best interest at heart. This voice serves only the ego, and it's most base instincts at that. The whisper for vengeance can be subtle, employing a dark logic that subverts the possibility of other perspectives that might provide life-giving guidance. From this place is birthed actions that have ended relationships, destroyed lives, and filled jails.

Here's the bottom line - hurting someone else, in any way, shape, or form, will never make us better. The only power that exists to bring healing and renewal is Love, and as Paul says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." At the end of the day Love reveals that we are not the product of what has been done to us; rather, we are the fruit of how we respond to what has been done. 

With iconic clarity the Old Testament places revenge in the realm of the Divine: "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19.18) This command is reiterated in Deuteronomy when God affirms: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay." (Deut. 32.35). Perhaps the delicate balancing of justice's scales are beyond humanity's limited perspective to manage; perhaps in the end there is no healing to be had unless it is the healing of our own hearts through forgiveness.

I have sometimes desired a day of reckoning for the suffering of those gym class days. However, in my better moments I send Light and Love to my high school classmates and the gym teacher who tormented me. The world will not be better if they are broken; it will be better if all of us are whole. 

I leave the last word to Marcus Aurelius:

“The best revenge

is to be unlike him who performed the injury.”

(Marcus Aurelius, Meditations)

The color of revenge...

hearts consumed by pain.

In bitterness

I

cursed

and darkness

became

me

In forgivness

I

Loved

and Light

filled

me

Forgive

Pray

Laugh

To Ponder Further:

- From the Bible: "Do not say, "I will repay evil"; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you." (Proverbs 20.22)

- From Islam: "Whatever affliction may visit you is for what your own hands have earned." (Qur'an 42.30)

- African traditional: "Ashes fly back in the face of him who throws them." (Yoruba Proverb (Nigeria))

- From Buddhism: "A person who has committed one of the deadly sins will never again, until their death, lose the thought of that action; they cannot get rid of it or remove it, but it follows after them until the time of their death." (Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines 17.3)

The Color of Taxes

“Death, taxes and childbirth! 

There's never any convenient time for any of them.” 

(Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind)

It is "tax season" (there's apparently 5 seasons now...) in the Canadian accounting world. I've been gifted with an inside view of taxes as a consequence of filling an admin position in my wife's public accounting office. To be honest, the whole taxation system befuddles me. The CRA manual is HUGE! I am truly in awe of Anna's knowledge of taxation regulations and how they apply to a bazillion different scenarios.  I am also in awe of the tidal wave of negativity that the issue of taxes provokes in many of her clients.

While a good 'ol rant about the insanity of the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) would elicit significant applause from my readership and Anna's clients, it is not the inadequacies of the system to which I direct my comments today. Rather, it is the idea of the "common good" that has my attention.

“I hate paying taxes.

But I love the civilization they give me” 

(Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.)

Few of us like the idea of giving away a portion of our hard-earned income to a cause that we do not necessarily support. Every year the news reports some story about questionable government spending, misappropriation of funds, or massive overspending on projects with which we disagree. The result is a deep-seated resentment of paying taxes. 

I get that - money is time and energy; few among us want to frivolously waste our time and energy. This, however, is not the whole picture with taxes. As we gripe about paying tax, we may be throwing the proverbial baby out with the bath water. Governments are generally inefficient; bureaucracies allow for dubious spending policies; this is, perhaps, beyond question. Nonetheless, the tax system provides life in many ways, both subtle and overt, to our communities.

Here are some of the ways our tax dollars are Love in action:

- access to health care professionals

- access to emergency services and first responders 

- roads, urban water and sewer systems, bridges, side walks, 

  traffic signals...

- libraries, museums, art galleries

- elementary, middle and high schools, universities, tech schools, 

  and colleges

- a social care network for those who are, for any reason, unable to 

  make a living

- parks, playgrounds, wildlife sanctuaries

- passports, visas, international relations

All of this is only the tip of the iceberg. I acknowledge that none of the above suggestions are working perfectly; health care, educational, and political institutions are flawed and full of holes. Be that as it may, they still support life, providing an infrastructure upon which families and communities find some grounding. 

“We contend

that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity

is like a man standing in a bucket

and trying to lift himself up by the handle.” 

(Winston S. Churchill)

Churchill's words stand as a warning - taxation is not the solution to our problems. Overtaxing a people is a sure road to civil uprising. On the other hand, the ideal upon which taxation is based is founded upon ancient principles, namely, that we all have a responsibility for contributing to the common good. Communities are made strong as we work together to ensure that all members, rich and poor, powerful and vulnerable have opportunity to thrive.

To carte blanch state, "I don't want to pay any tax" is to say that I do not want to participate in my neighbor's well-being. A portion of my taxes built the road upon which the ambulance is travelling, which will take my neighbor, or a family member, or me... to the hospital. In part, my taxes will pay for a student to have a summer job through a "student employment program" grant. Some of my taxs will pay the wages of soldiers who are deployed to be peace keepers. Millions of people will make a living this year through wages collected as civil servants, serving their communities. 

Any of us could make a long list of the ways our tax dollars are misused, based on our personal values and priorities. I get that; I have that long list too. However, when I consider my responsibility to my community, province, country, and the world around me - I see that much of my tax dollars have allowed very desirable things to happen. 

I consider paying taxes to be a privilege - a two edged sword of a privilege to be sure - but a privilege nonetheless. This privilege comes with the responsibility of holding our elected officials accountable for the spending of our precious tax resources. There is a time to speak out, to rally - to revolt even. Taxes are a community investment, the dividends of which are elements of daily life that are mostly taken for granted. Government is the the manager of this investment fund, and as often as they mess it up, they also manage to make life better for millions of people. 

I leave the last word to Jesus the Christ, who as far as we know never submitted a tax return:

"...some of the Pharisees and Herodians... said,

'Teacher... is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?

Should we pay or shouldn’t we...?

Then Jesus said to them,

“Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s

and to God what is God’s.”

(Mark 12.13,17, NIV)

The Color of taxes...

the stone soup of community life.

Severing my own

safety net

I fell

from a great

height

breaking upon

life's

rocky ground

We stand

or fall

Together

Breathe

Listen

Play

To Ponder Further:

- From the Bible: "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." (Galatians 6.2)

- From Judaism: "All men are responsible for one another." (Talmud, Sanhedrin 27b)

- From Native American Spirituality: "Grant other people something also. The Yamana do not like a person who acts selfishly." (Yamana Eskimo Initiation)

The Color of Identity

“We know what we are,

but not what we may be.” 

(William Shakespeare)

Last Wednesday I co-facilitated the first of fourteen weeks of a group called "Changing Ways" - a healing group for men convicted of domestic violence. These men are not participating voluntarily; they are court-mandated. Their stories are full of anger and hurt, sorrow and violation. As the men came into the room for this first session, their faces betrayed a myriad of emotion - anxiety, uncertainty, shame, stubbornness, fear... Having traversed the rocky shores of our justice system most of them expected to be treated as felons, labelled with a big "A" for abuser. 

Instead, I set the tone by greeting each man by name, shaking his hand, and welcoming him with a smile. I wanted them all to know that I saw brothers sitting before me, fellow men, fellow human beings; all other labels were secondary. In this, I was confronting one of humanity's great questions: who are we? 

“Perhaps it's impossible to wear an identity

without becoming what you pretend to be.” 

(Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game)

Many support/healing groups include an identity aspect - "hello, my name is Bill, and I'm a choc-aholic." This begs the question - what should/does define who we are? When Moses was speaking to the burning bush in the Old Testament story, he asked the bush to tell him who it was that was sending him back to Egypt. The bush responded, "tell the Egyptians 'I am' sends you." God responded by saying that Divine identity is being-ness. Scripture goes on to define God by such attributes as God is a rock, God is a consuming fire, and John's quintessential descriptor - God is Love. 

So how are we to be defined? Are we the labels that others assign to us - fat, tall, drunk, convict...? Are we the titles of our vocation and jobs - farmer, banker, teacher, cashier? Are we the emotional states that often feel so overwhelming in the moment - grief, sorrow, anticipation, wonder, betrayal? 

“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions

drown out your own inner voice."

(Steve Jobs, Stanford University commencement speech, 2005)

Perhaps no single element should be empowered as ultimate descriptor. Certainly the opinions of others (which are always incomplete and skewed), as well as the warped perspective of media, shall be dismissed from our conversation, for neither provides any useful insight into "I am." What then can speak truth to who I am?

“When I discover who I am,

I’ll be free.” 

(Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man)

Perhaps we are a composite of all our experiences, actions, and thoughts. Our past forms us, along with our DNA, and our spiritual heritage; forms us, but cannot constrain us. We are constantly growing, exceeding our limits, stretching our potential. Just when we think that we are chained to the past, a personal epiphany may release us from those chains, and we are thrust onto new paths of possibility.

We are deep, us humans, deep and complex creatures. The most broken among us have sometimes risen to bathe the world in light, even as the most brilliant have on occasion fallen to the depths. Still, I would submit that neither heights nor depths have the right to utterly hold the brush that paints our portrait. 

The men in the Changing Ways program have all caused wounding in some form or fashion; the women in their lives have suffered at their hands. This is a thread on the loom of their weaving. It is, however, only one thread among many. I counsel us to be careful with "I am" statements. When we profess "I am an abuser" or "I am an alcoholic" we are designating one single lens, one perspective as the sole image from which we are composed. We are, at all times, a kaleidoscope mosaic of colors and shapes, bits and pieces forming a whole. 

In light of all this, who are you?

I leave the last word to the author of Genesis:

"So God created human beings in his own image.

In the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them."

(Genesis 1.27 New Living Translation)

The color of identity...

I am - all of me.

White light

through

a

prism's lens

is

rainbow hued

So too

a

human heart

through

Love's lens

Love

Pray

See

To Ponder Further:

- From the Bible: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 

(Jeremiah 1.5)

- From Buddhism: "Every being has the Buddha Nature. This is the self." (Mahaparinirvana Sutra 214)

- From Seicho-no-Ie: "Therefore, man, who is spirit, love, and wisdom, is in no way related to matter." (Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines 48-49)

The Color of Food, Part III

“Pull up a chair.

Take a taste.

Come join us.

Life is so endlessly delicious.” 

(Ruth Reichl)

We began in the chef's kitchen, sauntered out to the farmer's field, and now we complete our brief food pilgrimage by sitting down to dine. This week we explore the world of eating. 

I have been making regular visits to my 90-year-old father who is in palliative care after breaking his hip a month ago. For the first three weeks of his post-surgery convalescence dad did not eat anything. In fact, for most of that time he had an NPO order on his chart - nil per os; nothing by mouth. His only nourishment was via an intravenous drip. Last week, though, the NPO was lifted, allowing dad to eat whatever he wished. He had a bag of chips! 

Eating is hard for dad; he is very tired, and has barely enough strength some days to feed himself. In addition, the food he is eating is hospital standard fare - lukewarm, and barely yummy. Consequently, he has little motivation to eat. The aforementioned chefs would be aghast at the quality of dad's food. While there are times when survival depends upon the consumption of any available calories, when mouldy bread might be a feast, poor quality food is not the ideal to which we ascribe. 

When we sit to board, the fare before us need not be exotic to be life-giving. It ought, however, to be rich in aroma and flavour, and bursting with nutrients. The fruits of the farmers' labours, through the chrysalis of the chef's kitchen, in metamorphosis become life and breath for us. My dad's final feasts should be filled with such a new-life miracle. 

“One cannot think well,

love well, sleep well, 

if one has not dined well.” 

(Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own)

As a culture we are forgetting how to dine well. In forfeiting slow food (cooking from scratch) we have also forfeited actually experiencing that which we eat. I watch dad slowly and carefully manage each bit, deliberately chewing each mouthful, taking time - even with hospital food. In his last days he is teaching me, calling me to wake up to the gift of food, the wonder of eating. A meal truly eaten is one consumed with mindfulness, awareness, and gratitude. 

When my family and I sit down to sup we take a page from Thich Nhat Hanh's writings, wherein he describes a Vietnamese Buddhist custom. Before eating a bell or gong in invited to intone. As it rings, the diners give silent thanks for the food, and for all who took part in growing and preparing the food. They still themselves, laying the hurry and rush of the day aside, breathing in the aroma of the meal, simply being present to the miracle of the meal. When the vibrations of the bell have ceased they take the first mouthful of their repast, indulging in an explosion of taste. 

“If you can eat with mates or friends or family,

I mean, it's such a brilliant thing isn't it?

If you feel really rubbish

and you have a nice bit of food

it makes you feel good, you know?” 
(Jamie Oliver)

Jamie ties it all up in a nice neat knot: good food eaten in the company of those whose lives are interwoven with our own - this is dining. I sat with dad during supper yesterday; a nurse kindly and gently assisted him in eating; mom and I bathed dad with presence, and the moment birthed holiness. Such is the power of eating, of communing; such is the that mystical dance of field and farmer, cook and kitchen, table, plate, and palate. 

Perhaps it is time that we awoke to the power of good food, slowly cooked, slowly eaten, in the company of our fellow sojourners; the power of life, the gifts of the earth. When next you sit down to eat - smell your meal, taste your meal, let your eating be a Sabbath. 

I leave the last word to poet Kahil Gibran:

“And when you crush an apple with your teeth,

say to it in your heart:

Your seeds shall live in my body,

And the buds of your tomorrow shall blossom in my heart,

And your fragrance shall be my breath,

And together we shall rejoice through all the seasons.”

(Kahlil Gibran)

The color of food...

Eden within us.

Good food

shared

sates

our

longing

Breathe

Pray

Eat

To Ponder Further:

- From the Bible: "do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6.19-20)

- From Hinduism: "Now will I glorify Food that upholds great strength, by whose invigorating power Trita rent Vitra limb from limb. O pleasant Food, O Food of meath, thee have we chosen for our own, so be our kind protector thou. Come hitherward to us, O Food, auspicious with auspicious help, health-bringing, not unkind, a dear and guileless friend." (Rig Veda, Hymn CLXXXVII. Praise of Food)

- From Celtic Legends: "When thou takest thy food, think of Him who gives it, namely, God, and whilst thinking of His Name, with the word put the first morsel in thy mouth, thank God for it, and entreat His grace and blessing upon it, that it may be for the health of thy body and mind; then thy drink in the same manner." (From the Rudiments of Divinity, Egwyddor Dywiniaeth)