Whether you’re preparing it, eating it, or sharing it, food is something that brings us all together. Of course, we need food to survive, but we also think about it every day for other reasons. We give thanks for those whose hard work gave us the ingredients, we value the medicinal/nutritional value, we enjoy the time spent making it, and gain satisfaction from the taste and company it brings us. It is something we look forward to daily, and something we should try to savor and to share with one another.
It’s all too easy to rush meals – we take them on the go or eat them at our desks as we work. We spend them alone, or sometimes entirely skip them. Too often we don’t look at the time we spend eating as a gift, and too often we take it for granted. I’m extremely guilty of this and have been working on sharing my lunch breaks with coworkers and putting aside time each week for meals with my friends, to capitalize on the quality time and fulfillment a meal can bring.
My mom’s last blog was on the blueberry muffins she makes for herself and my dad each day. She likes to bake, and I do now as well, and together we share in the delight of cooking and making treats (as you might remember from our cookies last year). I’ve continued this tradition, and still bake weekly with my roommates. We whip up all sorts of pies, and recently attended a baking class together where we spent hours walking through the proper ingredients, their history, and importance of the small details that go into every creation. The experience had me reflect on the importance of food and furthered my appreciation for all that goes into it. There are the incredible ingredients from the earth, and the time and hard work that go into tending to it and harvesting it. And, there’s the love and care that go into making it, the excitement that goes into enjoying it, and the community it creates.
When you begin to look at what you’re eating through this lens of connectedness, mealtime becomes that much more exciting. “Mealtimes” can mean sharing coffee, lunches, baked goods, even just grabbing a slice of pizza after work. I’m not a psychologist, but taking a break to sit down, to nourish your body and mind, and to share that moment with others whom you might otherwise be too busy to interact with during the day can definitely make a positive difference in your life.
As we approach the heaviest eating season of the year, shared meals won’t be hard to come by, but remember they don’t have to be limited to the holidays. And, don’t forget to ask for blessings not just for the food, but for those who provide it, prepare it, and share it with us.
And Jesus took the bread and gave thanks to God. Then He broke the bread and shared it with His disciples…Luke 22:19
