Sacred & Surprising

Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

—1 Thessalonians 5:11

A couple of my girlfriends, self-professed non-cooks, asked if we could make dinner together to add a few recipes to their normal repertoires.

When people learn their way around a kitchen, it becomes a life-giving, healing place to be. A lot of our long-tangled food issues get brought out into the light when we stand in front of the cutting board or in front of the stove. Sacred and surprising things happen when we gather around a table and share food made with love and by our own hands.

It happened that night, certainly. We laughed and told stories and bumped into one another in the kitchen. When it was all ready, we sat at the table together for ages. We talked about the food—the smells and flavors—and then we talked about all the other things you talk about around a table, like how hard it is to say no, and how heartbreaking it is when a friend really isn’t a friend. We talked about learning how to relax, and learning how to be gracious with ourselves.

They left with recipes and instructions, and the next morning, I ate leftover bacon-wrapped dates for breakfast. Win-win, I’d say.