Brunch, No Cinnamon Rolls!

In every one's life, at some time, our fire goes out.  It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.  We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.

~Albert Schweitzer


After quite a long spell, two of my favorite friends invited me to their home for brunch.  We had a lot of catching up to do, and they asked if I would bring my home baked cinnamon rolls.  I was mindful to prepare the yeast rolls the night before our brunch so by morning they would be twice their size and fluffy. 
While I got ready to go, I popped the rolls in the oven.  When they were golden, I added some special ingredients and then topped them off with a cream cheese icing.  DELICIOUS!

I gathered my things, and I was about to walk out the door, I remembered that I wanted to bring my friends tomatoes from our backyard.  I set everything down, grabbed a bag and went out to pick grape, Roma, and Big Boy tomatoes. 

Again, ready to leave, I had another thought.  I'd really like to bring them some flowers.  So back outside I went.  I snipped some asparagus fern, a few leafy stems from the holly bush, and then asters, Mexican heather, lavender, sage, and zinnias.  Pleased with my random collection, I popped them into an old favorite bottle, placing one yellow ribbon around the neck.  PERFECT!

Feeling really festive, I threw a batch of Sangria together ... white moscado, peach liqueur, and sprite, adding fresh peaches, strawberries and blueberries.  Now I was ready to attend the brunch!

Arriving twenty minutes late, which is definitely not my style, I offered sincere apologies for my delay.  I anxiously unpacked my car ... Sangria, tomatoes, flowers ... but no cinnamon rolls!  I had packed everything BUT the cinnamon rolls! 

Boy did I ever get teased!  Throughout the morning, my friends took turns causing laughter by saying:  "Pass the cinnamon rolls, please.  Oh, that's right, we don't have any!  Boy, I sure am hungry for a cinnamon roll, we should have asked someone to bake some!" 

Sisters of my heart, great conversation, and sharing of our food ... all makings for a perfect gathering.  In spite of the teasing, my spirit was rekindled by their love, compassion, and acceptance.  Driving home, I was both grateful and thankful for the beauty brought so generously into my life by these two lovely souls.  Their presence in my life is indeed a present!

Nothing Without The Other ...

"Just as the wave cannot exist for itself,
but is ever a part of the heaving surface of the ocean,
so must I never live my life for itself,
but always in the experience
which is going on around me."

Albert Schweitzer

I can hear the waves rushing in and the soothing sounds of the water returning to its source.  Watching this movement of coming and going mesmerizes me.  The sun reflected off the water blinds me into reverie as the sunshine gently slides across my body.  My only reminder of reality is the sand rubbing across my soles.

Thoughts frequently rush in, and then slowly fade, returning to wherever they originate.  In meditation this receiving and receding lulls me into a trance.  My heart glows with the connection to all things and the warmth spreads all the way down to my toes.

Experiences with the ocean like the experiences with the inner, integrate all parts of me, creating the sense of being limitless and empowered.  All these parts of me blend together allowing me to be my best so I may offer a sense of calm to all who may surround me.  One being nothing without the other ...

Wanna' Spoon?

One thing I know:

The only ones among you

who will be really happy

are those who will have sought

and found how to serve.

Albert Schweitzer

There is a story about a guide taking a man on tour to see the difference between hell and heaven.  The door to hell is opened and the tourist is shocked to see tables filled with food as though it were a banquet.  He looks around the room and notices that all of the people in hell look emaciated in spite of all the food.  They are standing around moaning and groaning from starvation.  As he looks closer, he sees that the spoons that were being held were longer than the arms of the people,  so the food could not get into their mouths.  "This is hell," the guide explained.

The next door they come to leads to heaven.  Upon opening it, the man takes in the same view.  Tables are overflowing with food, but instead of moaning and groaning, the people in heaven were laughing and enjoying each other.  They, too, have the same long spoons, and are incapable of feeding themselves;  however, they have learned to feed each other.

In his book, A DEEP BREATH OF LIFE, author Alan Cohen writes,  "When we take care of another, we fulfill our highest function as divine beings.  We can feed each other on many levels:  physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.  There is no greater joy and service than to fill one another with whatever we have to share."

Using the gifts and talents that you have been blessed with consider those who surround you.  Then decide how you can best serve them in your own unique and creative way.  There is much we can give in very simple ways, such as a smile or a hug.

We all have the same spoons to feed and nurture.  How will you use yours?  If you are living in a man made hell, perhaps you have been serving only your self and simply need to feed another.