WCCM Benedictine Oblates are encouraged to read a designated portion of the Rule daily, and to write a brief, personal response. I hope that this blog will support our Oblate community in this practice. Please, keep blog entries brief and in a first-person ("I") voice. Refrain from discussing, offering an opinion, or commenting on other entries. Simply consider how a particular section of the Rule is speaking to you in your present circumstances.
The Kitchen is where magic can happen and where combined effort seeks the good and nourishment of all. A story stands out for me in a defining moment of kitchen service. Working in a voluntary capacity in a small halfway house for recently released men and women from prison, it happened that the cook could not make it in to prepare that evening’s meal. After a survey of inventory by several of the kitchen servers for that day, the menu was decided upon and preparations began immediately. There was no ranking of order, no dictators, no chiefs. Everyone pitched in and one of the most delicious meals was served to the community. Everyone lingered around the table. No one wanted to leave. Plates were empty but hearts were full and bodies were nourished. Clean-up was smooth, quick. This vignette is repeated in kitchens everywhere, in homes, and in communities, where the good of one another is uppermost and love becomes more than a word.
The Kitchen is where magic can happen and where combined effort seeks the good and nourishment of all. A story stands out for me in a defining moment of kitchen service. Working in a voluntary capacity in a small halfway house for recently released men and women from prison, it happened that the cook could not make it in to prepare that evening’s meal. After a survey of inventory by several of the kitchen servers for that day, the menu was decided upon and preparations began immediately. There was no ranking of order, no dictators, no chiefs. Everyone pitched in and one of the most delicious meals was served to the community. Everyone lingered around the table. No one wanted to leave. Plates were empty but hearts were full and bodies were nourished. Clean-up was smooth, quick. This vignette is repeated in kitchens everywhere, in homes, and in communities, where the good of one another is uppermost and love becomes more than a word.
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