by Christine Sine
This year Advent really wowed me.
It began with preparation for our virtual retreat Walking in Wonder Through Advent (now available as an online course) but my excitement grew as I entered into the celebration of Celtic Advent and now into the more familiar traditional Advent. Wow, wow and wow. It is an incredible story the impact of which often passes us by with hardly a thought. So what excites me so much?
First I am wowed by the Advent beginnings written into the creation of our world. The apostle John expresses this better than anyone:
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. (John 1:1-4, 14)
God knew even then that the Word would need to become flesh and dwell amongst us. And I think God was slowly preparing the world for that moment from the very beginning. And then it happened. So much hope resting on that tiny baby Jesus conceived in a young unwed peasant girl. At his birth the heavenly hosts couldn’t contain their excitement. They burst into the earthly realm with songs of jubilation.
That is not the only wow of the Advent season though. I am wowed by the faithfulness of those who take centre stage in the Advent story. Mary – willing to obey God even though she knows it could mean alienation from her family and community. Everything and everyone she loved even her life could be lost in that moment of obedience. And Joseph – he too stood to lose reputation and standing in the community. Yet he gave it up, choosing instead to embrace Mary and her unborn child, protecting and obviously loving them both. Recently I read that Joseph did not need to take Mary with him to Bethlehem for the census, and you would think that he would choose to leave such a heavily pregnant woman behind, but he took her on what must have been an incredibly uncomfortable journey, probably because he was afraid of what would happen if he left her behind.
I am wowed too that this incredible story still has as much vibrancy and impact 2000 years later as it did then. It has inspired millions over the centuries–in spite of attempts to suppress or even wipe it out on one hand or to make it into a sugar-coated fairytale on the other. Fresh interpretations expressed in cultures across the globe bring hope and promise to us and to the oppressed and the downtrodden everywhere. One of my vivid memories from my days on the mercy ship M/V Anastasis is of our visit to Poland not long after its release from Russian rule. People were hungry to hear the gospel story. The seeds of faith still lay within many of them, just waiting for new life to emerge.
Last but not least, I am wowed by the incredible ways the Advent story is lived out in so many aspects of our world. Glimmers of the Word made flesh were birthed long before Jesus was born. I think they continue to be seen in the conception and birth of every living creature in creation.
Perhaps you feel that you lack the wow factor this year. It’s hard to wait at the best of times; it can be painful and uncomfortable. Perhaps it means holding grief in one hand and gratitude in the other as Lynne Baab suggests in her book Two Hands – Grief and Gratitude in the Christian Life. Perhaps it means finding an Advent devotional that draws you into the wonder of Advent again. I read two yesterday that have that effect on me: All Creation Waits by Gayle Boss and Advent in Narnia by Heidi Haverkamp. I love what Heidi says in the introduction: Lewis by placing Christianity into another world makes it unfamiliar again. He gives us the chance to feel newfound wonder at the depth of God’s love, the power of Christ’s grace and the totality of his sacrifice, and the wonder of a world infused with the Holy Spirit.
I also revisited my book The Gift of Wonder. To feel a newfound wonder in God’s story is what Advent is meant to be all about. Like me, perhaps you need a daily dose of wonder this year. It is part of the reason we converted our virtual retreat a week ago into an online retreat process. Participants described it as “beautiful and inspiring”; “an incredible gift.” I found listening to the recording again this week just as inspiring and suspect I will return to it several times over the Advent season.
What Wows you about the Advent story? How do you enter into the true joy of its message?
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Prayer cards are available in the shop for many occasions and seasons–from everyday pauses and Lenten ruminations to breath meditations and Advent reflections, enjoy guided prayers and beautiful illustrations designed to delight and draw close. Many are available in single sets, sets of three, and to download–even bundled with other resources!
This week’s contemplative service in the spirit of Taize
A contemplative service with music in the spirit of Taize. Carrie Grace Littauer, prayer leader, with music by Kester Limner and Andy Myers.
Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-710-756 with additional notes below:
“Down in the River to Pray” Traditional American spiritual, public domain
Arrangement by Kester Limner, shared under the Creative Commons License, Attribution (CC-BY)
“In God Alone my Soul (Mon Ame se Repose) — Taizé song” “Within our Darkest Night (Dans Nos Obscurites) – Taizé song” By J. Berthier — copyright 1991, all rights reserved by GIA/Les Presses de Taizé
“Kristus, Din Ande / Jesus, Your Spirit In Us (Banjo version)” Copyright and all rights reserved by GIA/Les Presses de Taizé
“Kyrie” Text and music by Kester Limner, shared under the Creative Commons License, Attribution (CC-BY)
Thank you for praying with us! www.saintandrewsseattle.org
by Christine Sine
Several years ago I wrote a series of litanies for the weeks of Advent that were published in the book Waiting for the Light. I like to revisit these each year and thought I would adapt them for our current situation and repost them once again. (You can also purchase it through Godspacelight with our prayer cards) Enjoy!
Litany for the First Week of Advent
The advent of the Lord is near.
New light dawning where there has been darkness.
The advent of the Lord is near.
New hope reigning where there has been death and despair.
The advent of the Lord is near.
New light, new hope, new life for all creation.
Pause for lighting of the Advent candle
This is a season of preparation,
We prepare for the coming of Christ who broke down the barriers between us and God, each other and God’s creation,
We wait with repentant hearts to prepare the way of the Lord,
This is a season of watchfulness,
We watch for the One who heard our cries and shared the suffering of our world,
We wait in anticipation for God’s light to penetrate the darkness and shine within us,
This is a season of promise,
We wait for the promised coming of Emmanuel, God with us, God for us, God in us.
We wait in hope for our Redeemer to bring God’s love into our broken world,
This is a season of reflection,
We expect to be transformed so that we can serve in God’s kingdom as bearers of light.
We wait expectantly for God’s Savior to come and dwell in our midst,
This is a season of fulfillment,
We await the promise of God’s kingdom: wholeness, reconciliation and plenty for all.
We wait for God’s covenant to be fulfilled, for God’s kingdom to come in its fullness,
This is a season of joyful anticipation,
We anticipate the day when God’s glory will be revealed to all people together.
We wait expectantly attentive to all the signs of Christ’s coming.
Read scriptures for the day from daily lectionary
Lord whose light shines in the darkness,
Have mercy upon us,
Christ whose birth gives hope to all creation
Have mercy upon us,
Lord whose advent brings joy and love,
Grant us peace.
O Eternal One who abides in heaven, may your name be honored and your kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give all your people food for today, and forgive us the wrongs we have done, just as we forgive those who have wronged us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Into our troubles and weaknesses,
Into the barren places of our souls, Come O bringer of light,
Come down, come in, come among us and make us whole.
Into the war torn and the refugee,
Into those who live in conflict, Come, O bringer of life,
Come down, come in, come among us and make us whole.
Into the homeless and the unemployed,
Into those who feel abandoned, Come, O bringer of abundance,
Come down, come in, come among us and make us whole.
Into the sick and the disabled,
Into those with COVID and cancer and depression, Come, O bringer of health,
Come down, come in, come among us and make us whole.
Into the poor and the starving,
Into those who are oppressed or abused, Come, O bringer of justice,
Come down, come in, come among us and make us whole.
Into the lives of loved ones,
Into those from whom we are estranged, Come, O bringer of love,
Come down, come in, come among us and make us whole.
Into our joys and celebrations,
Into our work and our achievements, Come, O bringer of hope,
Come down, come in, come among us and make us whole.
Pause for participants to offer specific prayers and thanksgivings to God
Lord we long for your coming. Hasten the day when those who seek you in every nation will sit at you table. Hasten the day when suffering, pain, sickness, oppression and death will be overcome forever. Hasten the day when we will be resurrected as a multicultural family and live in peace, harmony, joy and love together in your eternal world.
Calm us to wait for the gift of Christ;
Cleanse us to prepare the way for Christ;
Teach us to contemplate the wonder of Christ;
Touch us to know the presence of Christ;
Anoint us to bear the life of Christ. AMEN
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Over the last few years, I have noticed anxiety arising more often in my mind and my body. Perhaps you have, too, since anxiety is one way that humans respond to times of long-lasting stress and we’ve collectively been experiencing the stressors of a global pandemic and increased societal divisions. In addition to a visit to the doctor to regulate my hormones, I have been gathering tools to help me not to worry. One of those tools is gratitude.
In Philippians, Paul invites us to let go of anxiety. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Notice that he says thanksgiving, or gratitude, is part of the alternative to anxiety. Behavioral scientists have observed the truth of the connection Paul makes between the practice of thanksgiving and the lessening of anxiety. How does this work? How does it contribute to peace? As I have practiced gratitude regularly, this is what I notice. Gratitude helps me with anxiety because it grounds me in the present moment rather than the uncertain future or past mistakes. Often, I feel anxious when I feel like the future is out of my control. When I become aware that I am anxious, and begin to practice naming specifically what I am grateful for, it brings me to the present moment. And in the present moment, I find I am safe and I am okay. God is present here. There is goodness and beauty. There are warm cups of tea, thoughtful family members, smells of baking bread, soaking rains, and singing birds.
When I experience challenges and difficulties that lead me to lament or concern, gratitude helps me to also pay attention to what is good. If I feel stuck in the negative possibilities of worry, gratitude provides the balance that I need and reminds me that I can hold both difficulty and goodness at the same time in my life. One need not cancel out the other.
Expressing gratitude reminds me of God’s care both in the present and in the past. As I remember the gifts that God has placed in my life, even in the midst of difficulty, and how I have come through difficulty in the past, I feel assured that my current concerns will be met by God as well. I feel stronger and more hopeful when I think of the people that have journeyed with me, how we navigated challenges, and how I was not left alone in my hardship. Practicing gratitude helps me relax into the belief that God will accompany me through difficulty and continue to provide help and companionship for whatever may come.
Finally, gratitude for creation assures me that I am part of a larger story that goes beyond my own concerns and worries. God and the story of the world have been going long before me and will continue after me. It calms me to know that my story is not at the center of the world or of history. I am held and cared for, and I am part of a much bigger story. Recently, I wandered along a Minnesota creek and wrote these words.
I am grateful for the land of my birth:
the green smell of freshwater lakes,
rolling fields, harvest of golden corn.
Tangy apple cider,
brilliant white birches topped
with autumn yellow,
maples in multiple stages of fall glory.
Brown lobed oak leaves,
sound of trickling water,
lapping waves, vast skies,
fluffy clouds, stacking one on top of another.
And birds…so many birds.
Bald eagle, downy woodpecker,
cardinal, blue jay, sparrow and chickadee,
trumpeter swan, Canada goose,
turkey vulture, hawk.
Crisp chilled autumn air—
hinting at the coming snows.
Prairie being restored plot by plot,
wild turkey flocks
crossing the roads.
Silent gliding through lake
waters in a kayak.
I feel it deep in my bones
How about you? What gifts are you grateful for in this moment? I’d like to invite you to take a moment to breathe deep, and name them.
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By Lilly Lewin
Traditional Advent begins this Sunday…How do we start our Advent Journey with a sense of Wonder?
What does Wonder even look like in this broken world?
What does rediscovering walking in wonder mean.?
Do I need new glasses in order to see it?
Do I need new shoes in in order to walk into WONDER?
Can I be like Mary and say YES to the gift of WONDER this ADVENT? She said a BIG YES to Gabriel and God in
These months of pandemic have been long and frustrating, I’ve missed work, and people, and rest. I’ve lost the gift of wonder, the gift of joy and I’ve lost a lot of energy too!
Can you relate?
How do you and I need to reclaim WONDER?
I decided to actually look up the definition of the word WONDER….
It’s a word we think we know, but what does it really mean? And what are some synonyms of WONDER?
WONDER:
As a verb: To ponder, marvel, to be curious about something
As a noun: a feeling of surprise, mingled with admiration caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable
Words like Miracle, Awe Surprise, Fascination, Marvel, Astonishment, Amazement,
A Sense of Curiosity! I like that a lot!
What are you curious about this Advent?
What things spark that sense of wonder and make you want to go on an adventure this Advent season?
I realized I needed help! I needed to think back to other years and times when I felt the WONDER of Christmas and Advent. I realized that need to get my senses were involved! Which is so funny that this wasn’t the first thing that came to mind since I create multi-sensory spaces for a living!
Consider all the SENSES of ADVENT and CHRISTMAS…think back to Advents and Christmases from years gone by….
What are the smells that come to mind?
What are the tastes?
What are the sounds?
The sights that whisk you into the WONDER of the Season?
ADVENT Senses
One of our family traditions is to put a pot of boiling water on the stove, slice up an orange, and add cinnamon and cloves and let the beautiful aroma fill the air! The kids know that the Advent season has started when they smell that scent.
We also make pumpkin bread to give away …a tradition started by my maternal grandmother many years ago.
WHAT are the SENSES of ADVENT and CHRISTMAS for you?
What are the first smells and the first tastes that come to mind?
Maybe it’s the scent of fresh pine, or evergreen.
Maybe it’s hot cocoa or hot chocolate that takes you back to the fun of the holidays.
Maybe you could find a scented candle to help awaken the wonder this year!
Take some time to WONDER about the senses of ADVENT and Christmas.
Ask Jesus to remind you and show you the things you’ve forgotten from past years.
What are some new senses you might add to your Advent that would help you recapture the WONDER this year?
There is a folk song that I grew up singing at Christmas called “I Wonder as I Wander.” It captures a bit of the wonder and awesomeness of the birth of Jesus for me. You can learn more about the history of the song here.
LISTEN to the full version and then the Audrey Assad more simplified version….What do you hear? What do you notice?
What other songs help you connect with the WONDER of the birth of Jesus and help you recapture WONDER? You might make a new Advent/Christmas play list to help you connect with WONDER.
You also can still do our ADVENT RETREAT on your own. So many fantastic ideas of recapturing wonder are shared in the recording. There is time to journal, time to listen, and time to create a collage, an ADVENT centerpiece, and ADVENT WONDER BOX or something else that the Spirit inspires you to try.
WALKING IN WONDER THROUGH ADVENT RETREAT
We are using this prayer to close out our gatherings at thinplaceNASHVILLE this Advent Season.
ADVENT CLOSING PRAYER
Lord God,
Calm us as we wait for the Gift of Jesus.
Cleanse us to prepare the way for his arrival. Help us to slow down and prepare our hearts. Help us to wait and take time to be with you. Teach us to contemplate the wonder of God with us.
Teach us to know the presence of your Spirit. Teach us to bear the life of Jesus and live out his Kingdom.
Today and Always. AMEN
(adapted from Ray Simpson of Lindesfarne)
WALKING IN Wonder Box
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NOW AVAILABLE: Walking in Wonder Through Advent now available as an online course. This course is adapted from the live virtual retreat facilitated by Lilly Lewin and Christine Sine
photos and writings by June Friesen
Thanksgiving is a time of showing appreciation to God for all of the things that He has given to us, particularly in the harvest of crops. It often is a time when families/friends gather to visit and eat together. Many churches have special services either on the Sunday preceding the holiday and/or on the holiday itself. A familiar passage from Psalms is often read:
PSALM 100 (The Passion)
1 Lift up a great shout of joy to Yahweh!
Go ahead and do it—everyone, everywhere!
2 Worship Yahweh with gladness.
Sing your way into his presence with joy!
3 And realize what this really means—
we have the privilege of worshiping Yahweh our God.
For he is our Creator and we belong to him.
We are the people of his pleasure.
4 You can pass through his open gates with the password of praise.
Come right into his presence with thanksgiving.
Come bring your thank offering to him
and affectionately bless his beautiful name!
5 For Yahweh is always good and ready to receive you.
He’s so loving that it will amaze you—
so kind that it will astound you!
And he is famous for his faithfulness toward all.
Everyone knows our God can be trusted,
for he keeps his promises to every generation!
As you gather–as I gather–with family and/or friends, what will we take time to celebrate this year? Over the past 20 months or so, most of us have seen as well as experienced many changes in our lives–as well as in the lives of those around us. Some of these changes may have been welcomed, but many were not so welcomed. In fact, some of the changes we have been forced to make have often brought feelings that were less than grateful. Yet each one of us reading this is still here, and in that, there is a cause for giving thanks to God. So how did you respond to reading Psalm 100 just now?
How does one enter into God’s presence with joy? With a password of praise? With a gift of thankfulness? Is it even possible to embrace God when we may feel that His absence in our world at present has never seemed more real? After all, if we are God’s people, we are told God hears and answers the cries of our hearts. Have our cries for health, of eradication of this pandemic, fallen on deaf ears? Yet, I ask, do many if not all of us still have some gifts of praise to lift? If we are able to read this, we have eyesight. If we are able to observe the photos, we have eyesight. Most of us have some sort of electronic device that is making it possible to read these words.
I admit that there have been times over the last 20 months that I have felt cheated as I have not seen most of my family. I have missed holidays, birthday and graduation celebrations, and potlucks with church family. I have missed the freedom to come and go as I may choose, where I may choose and when I may choose. Yet, as I take time to pause–to remember what I have now that I did not have before; I am now blessed with even more things and even more people in my life than 20 months ago. Through technology–particularly computers and cell phones along with the wireless worldwide internet–I have been able to continue our church worship services (although different than before) and we have grown. I have been able to facilitate two small groups where we study discipleship books. As a family, we have been able to meet via zoom gatherings over thousands of miles on a regular basis. We were even able to attend the graduation ceremony of one of our granddaughters via zoom–which we probably would have missed entirely if there were no covid issue. Yes, as I look back over this time, I see that what some might call a great problem has actually given me opportunities I would not have had before. So today I celebrate and give thanks to God because I allowed God to help me think outside of the box I had chosen to live in; God encouraged me to be open to new things, really new things, like recording a sermon every week and sharing it with my congregants and then meeting on zoom every Sunday for sermon discussion time, sharing and prayer time. Oh, and I have been able to meet new people and make some new friends who I have grown to love and appreciate through zoom ministries.
What has changed in your life in the past year? The past twenty months? Why not take some time today either alone or with family/friends and consider what new things God has brought into your life during these times? What are the things that you can gather and bring into His presence as ‘praise offerings?’
GOD: WE GIVE YOU PRAISE
Awesome God, Creator of the entire universe –
Creator of the solar system,
Creator of the day and night and the lights for each,
Creator of the water systems and replenishing rain and snow,
Creator of the incredible plant system that fills the entire world
With such beauty, incredible food gifts and so much more,
Creator of the animals that roam the earth and the ones that swim in the seas,
Creator of humanity in varieties of colors, shapes, personalities and abilities,
Creator of the gift we as humanity have to know You and to relate to You while here on earth.
We give You praise and glorify Your holy name.
Awesome God, Creator of forgiveness –
Forgiveness for that first mistake in the Garden of Eden,
Forgiveness for the blindness many of us embrace causing us to grumble and complain,
Forgive us for the deaf ears many of us embrace to block out the cries of the poor, enslaved and broken in spirit and body,
Forgive us for our lack of appreciation for the abundance that many of us have while others wish for but a bite or two of nourishment,
Forgive us for the times we do hoard or have hoarded things such as natural resources, food and opportunity for clean water –
While others are suffering and dying of malnourishment, hunger and thirst.
God today as we pause –
Please forgive us for these things we now have realized in our own spirits as sinful thoughts and/or actions;
Please receive us into Your presence to give You alone our praise for this day of life we have,
Please accept our confession and cleanse our spirits so our worship of You is more pure,
Please allow us move forward from this day of gratitude
Into the world gifting the world where we are with a new blessing.
I invite you to pray the following prayer with me:
God in heaven,
Today I come to You asking You to help me bless others around me with peace, with love, with forgiveness, and with a feeling of Your Presence. May I carry this thankful spirit within me and embrace it especially in those moments when I am feeling less than thankful. Help me not to focus on the struggles of my life with Covid and its residue but rather to embrace life and use it to care for and minister to others. Thank you so much God for bringing me to this day, to this moment – I love You so. In Jesus’ Name, amen and amen.
Explore what childlike characteristics shape us into the people God intends us to be. Be encouraged to develop fresh spiritual practices that engage all our senses and help us to live a new kind of spiritual life that embraces the wonder and joy that God intends for us. Embrace the gifts of Awe and Wonder in this giftable Book and Prayer Card Bundle! Use the beautifully designed Prayer Cards alongside the book to enrich your reading and assist your contemplation, bundled together for convenience and savings!
Table Talk by Laurie Klein
“What time is it?”
“What’s for dinner?”
“Why am I here?”
Ancient, universal questions: Silently or aloud, we still ask them.
Questions like these arise in A River Runs Through It, by Norman Maclean. The story he tells offers reasons to mourn, to remember, to pause and give thanks. Inspired by his tale, here is a new table grace, litany-style.
Perhaps you’re hosting the feast this year. Or you’ll be a guest. Or maybe you’ll serve strangers for eight+ hours (Thank you!). You might be a patient, a prisoner, a retirement home resident. You could be on your own, raiding the cupboards, or redeeming a Doordash or Grubhub card.
Whatever your circumstances during this season of feasts, large and small, you might enjoy using this litany-grace. Designate one person the Leader. Invite those present to read the bolded responses. If you’ll be alone this year, read both parts. Use different voices! Arrange to read with someone by phone or via Zoom.
Wherever you are, may the images and stories referenced below delight your imagination.
ALL READ: “Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood, and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some rocks are the timeless raindrops, under the rocks are words and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters . . .” —Norman Maclean
LEADER: It’s also true that, eventually, all things merge into One because God’s Table runs through it. The first table was conceived by grace for those in the Garden, and it extends, literally and figuratively, across our world. Come to the table prepared by God, our timeless Host. The invitation stands, long as there are clocks and long after their chimes shall cease.
ALL: All good things—time as well as eternal salvation—come by grace.
LEADER:
- We remember today the Periodic Table of the Elements and earth’s bounty.
- We remember the multiplication tables and the multiplied loaves and fish.
- We give thanks for every table of contents in every book that has helped us find our way.
ALL: All good things—provision as well as eternal salvation—come by grace.
LEADER:
-
- We remember “Wisdom has also set her table.”
- We remember the psalmist’s table prepared by God, in full view of his foes.
- We give thanks that “It is not the one who reclines at table who is greatest, but the one who serves.”
ALL: All good things—wisdom as well as eternal salvation—come by grace.
LEADER:
- We remember Martha, lovingly arraying her table for Christ.
- We remember the Canaanite woman, shrewdly arguing “Even the dogs feast on the crumbs from the Master’s table.
- We give thanks for the worried mother at Cana; the Son who was willing to help; the wine steward’s awe; and all those oblivious, thirsty, hungry guests, who, like so many today—ourselves included—show up for the food.
ALL: All good things—hope as well as eternal salvation—come by grace.
LEADER:
- We remember the Temple tables, upended by Christ.
ALL: All good things—both those actions we understand and those that perplex us—come by grace.
LEADER:
- We remember the woman who anointed Jesus, pouring out her all.
- We remember the meal at Emmaus, Jesus revealed in the sharing of bread.
- We give thanks for Jesus presiding over his last earthly table: wine and bread, blessed. Broken.
ALL: All good things—reconciliation as well as eternal salvation—come by grace.
LEADER:
- We remember God’s call to set a table for the strangers among us. And we anticipate the forthcoming Marriage Supper of the Lamb, all of us together, feasting . . .
ALL: Blessed be God, our Host, in whom all things merge, eventually, into One. From the first shared meal in the Garden . . . through this moment we share now . . . until well beyond what we mean by forever, may we be haunted by Love.
*
(With thanks to woodworkers and fly fisher-folk everywhere, theologian Leonard Sweet, and author Norman Maclean who also said “All good things—trout as well as eternal salvation—come by grace.”)
“At the table, where food and stories are passed from one person to another and one generation to another, is where each of us learns who we are, where we come from, what we can be, to whom we belong, and to what we are called.” ― Leonard Sweet, From Tablet to Table: Where Community Is Found and Identity Is Formed
Photo by Diego Lozano on Unsplash
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