breaking bread: white or whole grain?

Sitting down to share a meal can be a treasured experience. Sometimes like tonight it's at a restraunt with my brother and his wife. A Sunday afternoon at Chili's with friends. Stopping in at my parents for a free meal . Tuesday nights cooking with my friend Lindsay. Catching up with my high school friends--often when someone comes in from out of town (or out of country!). Saturday night, I sat down with a few friends for a wonderful meal from my friend Devon. The conversation was light but satisfying. There is something spiritual in sitting around a table investing in others lives whether it be a deep or casual converstation. Saturday night the discussion touched on roller coasters, the gym, horror movies and various other topics.

There wasn't a particular deep discussion but I was reminded of many of the meals that were part of the Jewish tradition, some that we may still discuss or participate in. The last supper Christ shared with his disciples was not just a random meal but part of a long tradition all of the men would have grown up--sharing the Passover meal that the Jews celebrated since their time in Egypt. Manners and traditions at meals are a facinating way to look at cultures around the world. I thought during the conversations around the table of how much meals were not just centered around nurishment for our physical bodies, but in so many cultures (if not most) the meal time also brought the social aspect to the table. A touchstone in connecting with others on a regular basis. And shared meals are often taken for granted in our busy, distracted culture. Families often sacrifice their time together around the table for more activities, work, or television missing out on their daily time to feed their relationships. In turn they often sacrifice their relationships while settling for quick (likely unhealthy) meals that satisfy less and less and leave our bodies just as empty as our hearts.

This past month has brought a big change in how I think about food. From an emotional need to eat (whether bored, happy, depressed...) to a need to provide a more balanced delivery of fuel to my body, I have learned healthier ways of taking in what is good for me. Part of this has been a struggle and part of this has meant some drastic changes to my eating habits. This weekend's meal was a reminder though to balance my changes to protect my good eating habits with the need for the social needs of communion with others. I don't have to sacrifice one to have the other. In the physical realm, I'm learning to find the better options and alternatives to the food I like. So intead of eliminating a food like bread I may learn to eat a bread with more natural nourishing ingredients. And while I may have to reduce nights out to restraunts, I don't want to eliminate all meals shared with friends and family. I may have altered the emotional need to eat, but it would be detrimental to my soul to ignore the emotional benefit of sharing meals with others.