Skip to main content

Nourishment

 Thank you for continuing on this Lenten journey with me. I appreciate you being here and I hope you are finding something that speaks to you.

What do I need? What do I want? What do I feel? All of these questions are important to ask ourselves and our children, our spouses, and our friends. We find deep connection when we ask them. 

But for today I want to pose another question: What do I eat? Part of Lenten rituals regards abstaining from certain foods on Ash Wednesday, Fridays, and the Easter Triduum, the 3 days leading up to Easter. Some people think this is nonsense, that what we eat shouldn't be a sacrifice. I remember a teacher in high school saying that the fishermen in Ireland wanted the Pope to make meatless Fridays because they wanted to increase the fishing industry in Ireland. I have no idea if that's true, but maybe? In our house, we try not to cook fresh meat, we sometimes order pizzas (which is not a sacrifice at all, haha), but lately we've just been eating leftovers, whatever's in the fridge. This week we had a salad made from the cabbages and kale growing in the garden. Grilled in a little olive oil and salt, pepper, and garlic, along with some chunky grilled croutons, it made quite a hearty (hardy?) meal. 

Anyway, this one way of being more intentional in our lives is a good way to gain focus and inward reflection. What do we eat? What do we need? How do we take care of our bodies? How do we sustain ourselves and our loved ones? How can I cleanse my body with some nutritious healthy food? Hot water with lemon, oatmeal with cinnamon, freshly baked bread with honey, pita and hummus, lettuces with olive oil and vinegar, rice with ginger and soy sauce. Sometimes it is the simplest things that bring us true nourishment. 

Today I invite you to look around your kitchen and think about what nourishes you. Maybe it's the food, but it's also the rituals around the food. Do you have a candle you can light while you cook? Can you put on some fun music? Do you have some fresh flowers or branches you can put in a vase to brighten your table space? Enjoy the meal and enjoy the meal preparation. It sustains us and it's a gift from God. We pray, "Bless us O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from thy bounty, through Christ Our Lord. Amen." 

*This is a little book Annie got years ago - it sits in my bathroom so I can read short snippets...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Is Grief?

 What is grief? It is standing in the shower and  you are suddenly crying and then you are sobbing. And you barely thought about it in the two days since you heard  your Uncle Rich passed. You thought about your dad and your cousins and your aunt and how sad they must be and you checked in on your dad. "I'm so so sorry." And you went to work and you did what you had to do. And now you are ready for another day and you are thinking of all the things and then you are crying and you are little again and vulnerable  and your heart hurts. And you remember everyone. Medford Lakes and a swimming pool and laughing so hard  and dancing around a Christmas tree and fireworks by the lake at night. And you can see his face and all their faces smiling Aunts and uncles and cousins and brothers who aren't here. And you remember his voice, deep and laughing, and you remember his kindness and his advice. "Are you taking vitamin C, Joannie?" You see all their faces and you mis
6 comments
Read more

Home for Christmas

  Dear College Kid and Post-Grads,  Welcome Home! You are finally here! And we are so happy to welcome you. It's been a long semester. You've faced trials and tribulations. You still need to meet your own benchmarks and others you've exceeded. But it's over now. For now, you must rest. For now, you are released from your duties and obligations for studying and group projects. You don't have to worry about homework and practice and when to wake up and when to eat. You are home. You can sleep until noon. We are here to love you back to health and wellness and give you that unmistakable feeling of home.  Some things haven't changed here at home. There will be bacon and eggs for breakfast and we will get cream donuts from McMillan's tomorrow. We will have bagels and cream cheese one morning. Some things are new to us. We will order the meat lover's pizza. We will make room on the shelf for your protein powder. Some things have changed. We painted the front d
Post a Comment
Read more

Tomorrow We Will Make Coffee

We are all searching for guarantees.  The guarantee on shipping from our website order, the guarantee on the newly-purchased mattress, the guarantee that when we wake up the electricity will still be on, the guarantee that the weather will get nicer soon, the guarantee that my car will still be parked where I left when I get back, the guarantee of a healthy pregnancy, the guarantee of an easy child.  All the things we expect at the beginning of the day to go our way, the meeting, the conference call, the sales pitch, the ruling, the game, the score.  I see people searching for schools, looking for a guarantee that the choices they make, the selection of this school over that school, will guarantee that their child will thrive, be successful, and maybe happy.  They want the guarantee.  They expect it when they walk in, as if they were going to a car wash, that the car will be perfectly cleaned when it comes out the other end.  As if kicking the tires will guarantee the purchase they mak
7 comments
Read more