While puttering at my computer last Friday night, I decided to search out an old friend whom I haven't heard from in years. Unbeknownst to me, another friend from this same era of my life was searching online for me. I believe this practice is held safe in the Biblical concept of, "Google unto others | | as you would have them Google unto you." Both friends had been on my mind lately, so when the latter friend's email popped onto the screen yesterday, the surprise revealed in a two-fold blessing. His own life is rich, meaningful and filled with love. He had also been in touch with our mutual friend, the woman I had been searching for, and was able to share a bit about her life. My hope is to contact her in the next few days, completing a circle begun thirty years ago. I have missed them both much more than I was aware.
Our lives, as a general rule, are like that. We move through them at warp speed, doing the best we can with what we've got, only to wake up one day trying to remember who and what matters to us. Planning our lives as 20-year-olds around a university commons table is so very different than reflecting back from middle-aged moments at our kitchen tables before turning out the lights and heading to bed. Somewhere between the two points of passage lie our hopes and dreams, blended thoroughly with the circumstances, events, choices and relationships that have shaped us. Perhaps "The Way We Were" isn't only a song, but also a way to understand and accept our own history.
As I stand in the doorway of my own kitchen each evening, I am circled by three impatient cats, ready to settle in for the night, and a life that is much more than I ever imagined it would be. All the steps that have brought me to flipping the light switch and walking down the hall to my bedroom are stored somewhere in my memory. Although I have a very good memory, I don't nave a need to bring up every finite detail of every experience from day one to the present. It's all there, I have used my time well and, like a casserole with just the right mix of ingredients, it tastes better and better each day.
There is also that unifying factor known as sauce. A classic Midwestern potluck dinner will always include several dishes with noodles, hamburger and vegetables. Depending on the cook, there will be a cheese, mushroom or tomato sauce, frequently supplied by the Campbell's Soup Company, blended with the other ingredients. While wholly practical, and completely un-exotic, the soup infuses what once was merely a pile of leftovers with something warm, inviting and nourishing, usually better than we expected.
What sauce is to a good casserole, God's grace is to our lives. What can feel like years of experiences and encounters that make no sense by themselves, are all joined together by grace, the grace by which we are called to something war |
| | warm, inviting and nourishing, usually better than we expected.
What sauce is to a good casserole, God's grace is to our lives. What can feel like years of experiences and encounters that make no sense by themselves, are all joined together by grace, the grace by which we are called to something warm, inviting and nourishing, something much more than we ever imagined.
It is grace that surrounds al of us, inspires all of us, to share our lives with one another, bringing out the best we each have to offer at the table. It is grace that stirs and refreshes our souls and helps us find ourselves in each other again.
About The Author
Cory L. Kemp
As an ordained minister, Rev. Kemp has worked in both pastoral and educational ministries in several congregations. Her ministerial background and love of writing have combined to develop Creating Women Ministries, a website dedicated to encouraging theological dialogue, particularly among women, through workshops, journaling and personal spiritual development. Her book, You Don't see Many Chickens in Clearance: Essays on Faith and Living, can be purchased through Lulu Publishing at: http://www.lulu.com. Visit Creating Women Ministries at: http://www.creatingwomenministries.com for the e-book edition. Questions Thoughts Musings She can be reached by email at: creatingwomen@irun.com.
This article was posted on October 23, 2006 |
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