Bread of Heaven

Yesterday was bread baking day at the Monastery, which means that every inch of the building - chapel included - was filled with the fragrance of freshly baked bread.  Since bread is one of my favorite foods (ever), I find the aroma to be almost intoxicating.  Sadly, it is not something I can enjoy right now, so the longing went unfulfilled.  Freshly baked bread is not something I can eat; it no longer sustains me.  But I still love it, and miss it!  Rice bread, or sprouted organic "who knows what" bread just doesn't taste the same as a lovely loaf of oatmeal bread.

When David was growing up I made oatmeal bread with some regularity.  One day (when we lived in Taborton), I took two loaves out of the oven and put them on the counter to cool - a stick of margarine next to them that had been used to "butter" the tops of the hot loaves.  I went into the other room to read, and a little while later had a sense that I needed to go back into the kitchen.  When I turned the corner I found our labrador puppy Cali sitting on the counter starting on her second loaf of bread - her face and paws smeared with what was left of the margarine.  I fully understood where she was coming from!

With this longing unfulfilled, I was tempted to go down the "woe is me" path (or "woe unto me" if I wanted to be Biblical), but my better angels encouraged me to instead think about what does and can sustain me.

What is bread for me now - today - at this place in my life?  What sustains me, nourishes me, and helps me to be healthy and well?  What gives me life?  Quickly these questions took me from the realm of whole wheat or rye to the very core of what keeps my soul alive.

I return to Boise tomorrow having spent valuable time here being challenged and nourished - sitting with questions that brought forth important answers.  I was embraced by the love and respect of this special community, and go back to my daily life with their prayers and blessings.  My experience here is bread for me now; the challenge is to find an equally nourishing source of bread back in Boise.

What is bread for you?  Where do you find your sustenance?  What gives you life?

Bread for the journey,
Kim