Thanksgiving is upon us,
and from what I see,
that for which we are most thankful
is food;
Thanksgiving is the holiday of feasting.
We love to eat:
turkey and stuffing,
cranberries and pumpkin pie,
three-bean casserole with fried onion rings...
And we all have our unique family traditions;
I have a friend who cooks only once a year,
making his mother's curried fruit for Thanksgiving dinner;
one year he walked in saying,
"The oven was still set at the same temperature
from when I made this last year."
Depending on ethnicity,
your Thanksgiving may also include enchiladas or lasagna,
dolmades or spare ribs or herring.
Oh, the glorious culinary excesses
of Thanksgiving!
But I was reminded in church yesterday
that we have other feasting to do this season.
We are invited to dine
on that which broadens and deepens
our spiritual life.
Yesterday's service felt like a celebratory meal
(beyond the Eucharist).
I suggest that now is the time
to feed on our sacred writings--
take, eat, digest.
Gobble up the anthems, the hymns, the chants.
Ingest the beauty of the stained glass,
the woodwork gleaming from decades of touch,
the passing of the peace,
the warmth of hugs and smiles.
Once inside of you, all of these break down
into essential, spiritual nutrients.
You have a Percent Daily Value* for them all:
mystery 200 g
eternity 150 mg
balance 270 mg
healing 90 g
serenity 350 mg
assurance 75 g
wholeness 650 mg
hope 420 mg
love 150 g
Are you getting enough?
It doesn't only happen in church,
it also happens out in nature,
or while in the garden,
when reading great literature,
listening to fine music,
talking with friends and family,
singing a lullaby to a child,
embracing,
in the pause that brings you into the present moment,
in silence and solitude.
Eat and live;
eat and thrive;
eat and know joy.
Look at you...
you're too skinny!
Eat! Eat!
*Percent Daily Values are based on an hour-a-day diet.
Your daily values may be higher or lower
based on your spiritual needs.

Text and image © 2017 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.
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