What He did with the bread and the wine...

The sunrises are amazing this week.  Although I long for more sleep, a beautiful sunrise can be a great inspiration for getting up and getting on with your day. 

Today we had an interesting experience at our church.  We had a dinner in honor of world hunger.   The only dish was rice without any seasonings or side dish, and then some clean water to drink.  We also brought pictures of children we sponsor through charitable organizations and artifacts from third world countries.  People shared as well.

I cried.  I cried at all the personal little stories.  How a student "Lynette" who's here at Rosebud originally from West Africa, was given a shoe box at Christmas time and how knowing that a stranger would give to her changed her a little bit.

  Then we all put together shoeboxes with things we had bought.  There were great assembly stations: tables with toys, stuffies, toothbrushes, soap, pencils and pads of paper, hair ties, baseballs, clothing and of course, candy.  But most meaningful of all was adding a personal note.   

 They had forms for the boys to fill in which would tell some other child about them.  For example, Weston explained how his favorite drink was apple juice, and his favorite color was purple, etc.  It was fun because we got to include pictures of the boys too.  One of the questions was "I love Jesus because...."  I thought this one was a bit of a set up for young child.  One where they might feel compelled to give the correct Sunday School answer without really knowing what they're saying.  I was curious to see how the boys would handle this one.

  Weston thought for a moment and then said, "Because he's so good."

  Later I checked Donovan's form.  (His printing was so clear.)  He said, "I love Jesus because of what he did with the bread and the wine."  --Donovan has been quite taken with communion at our church and I think maybe at his school too.  I remember him drawing the elements during the service on the little prayer request papers.  And there was one time I remember he came into my room while I was reading or something and said, "Hey Mom, wanna come have communion?"  I followed him into the kitchen where he had done the best he could with orange juice and rice crackers.  He had them laid out for me along with a finger labyrinth David had just purchased.  We had done a large prayer labyrinth journey in church the Sunday before and he was greatly impacted by it.  Then he  just sat there on the floor.  I was stunned.  After I got permission to take his picture,  I squatted down and slowly allowed my finger tip to trace the pattern -- into the center and then out.  Tons of thoughts flooded in, but one at a time and they all made sense.  Then I slowly served myself the bread and the "wine" as my son watched.  It was so meaningful; we both knew it.  --I know my son loves the ritual, the symbol, the tradition and he senses the importance of the sacrament, but in that simple metaphor lies the essence of the Sunday School answer.  

  Back at the church, we had only intended to send two boxes, but there was ample supplies for more, so Weston and I did one for a girl as well.  Since we'd already included the kid info sheets in the first two boxes, we decided to add a note of our own design on a Christmas card someone had brought into this new one.  Weston scribbled his name and then ran off to play with the other kids and I was left there pen in hand.  I found myself stumped. I couldn't think of what to say after God bless you.    Everything sounded trite.  What was really going on was I felt terribly guilty that my stomach was aching for more protein, chocolate -- anything!  Here I was trying to give and all I could think of was how hungry I was.  Never have I tasted rice so fully as this one bowl tonight.  So... I just started writing out of my thoughts and feelings in the moment.  I wrote to this little girl and told her my age and how I live in plenty and how God is causing me to think and be generous.  Then I invited her to consider being generous with those around her, even with her time and creativity.  It ended up being a long letter with lots of pausing, but I finished it and tucked it in with a Canadian Moose stuffy, a hot pink shirt with jeweled neckline and too many pencils and pens.  It was work, but I think it was the most genuine thing I had to give.