On our way home from church we drove over the newly constructed road which crosses over the wetlands of my childhood. It's a lovely road and the land alongside the old irrigation ditch where I used to meet my best friend is planted with native willow trees.
Today whenever we drive over that road I remember the young girl that was me dodging around the wet areas to get to the place beside the irrigation ditch where my best friend Barbara--who lived on the other side of the swamp--met me.
After that the two of us went on together. Sometimes we'd follow a frog through the tall grass, discover a fish lurking in the murky water. And then there were the bugs and spiders, sometimes a bunny or two; once we even saw a beautiful China Rooster take flight into the air.
By the time we arrived at Barbara's house we were famished, so Barbara would fetch us both a piece of bare bread from a bread sack labeled Wonder Bread. Delicious, except that slice of soft white bread didn't satisfy our hunger. It barely held us until supper.
Although I appreciated that slice of bare bread, I couldn't help but compare it to the bread I ate at home. My Mother made loaves out of wheat we ground ourselves. Whole grain, fragrant and fresh from the oven, it nourished our bodies and our spirits.
It was sort of like the bread the Jews ate when Jesus walked the earth. Their bread, made from freshly ground wheat or barley contained an abundance of vitamins and minerals. Bread broken from that loaf would satisfy the hungriest man, woman or child and it gave them everything they needed for life. "The bread that I will give," says our Lord, "is My flesh--My body--which I will give for the life of the world." (Jn 5:51)
Jesus went on to say, "Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me" (Jn 5:57.) It is through His Word we live, for He is the Word of God. This beautiful communion we have with Him only comes through eating the Living Bread--the most wonderful food ever prepared for mankind. Only as we eat and are satisfied are we able to grow to be like Him.
8 comments:
Hi, Mom! Recognize the old breadboard you gave to me? It's been photographed on the old table around which we used to eat dinner.
I love you, Mom!
Eva, Thank you for sharing your faith in such a beautiful way. Finding your blog today has been a blessing and an encouragment.
Hello,
It sounds like you had some wonderful fun around those wetlands and great memories of wonderful bread making with your mom. Thank you for sharing your tale.
Hello! Thank you for following my little ole blog; it does my heart good! I've checked out yours a few times, and decided to give you a click today. Am I ever glad! The instant I saw this loaf of bread, I could smell it! My mom loves to bake bread....but she won't make a fresh loaf until the very LAST piece of the previous loaf has been eaten. There is nothing like a piece of hot, fresh bread! Ummmmm
HELLO.......MY DAUGHTER SENT YOUR BLOG TO ME......I UNDERSTAND THE LOVE OF REAL BREAD.....WHEN MY CHILDREN WERE YOUNG I BAKED OUR BREAD EVERY WEEK AND TRADED A LOAF TO A NEIGHBORING PILOT FOR FRESH PINEAPPLE AND PAPAYA....SO GOOD.......I ALSO HAVE A BEST FRIEND BARBARA WHO WILL BE 80 SOON.........HAVING ENJOYED THE WAY YOU TURN A PHRASE I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR MURDER MYSTERY......GOOD LUCK AND CAREWELL.....CHATR
Your writing style is spellbinding! I can almost smell this fragrant bread baking! I felt like I was hunting for frogs and spiders.. darting through the wetlands of your childhood! Gorgeous!
I love the way you write. It makes me want to eat bread, although I can't!
Eva,
I'm having some gingerbread tea, and SO wishing I had a piece of that warm goodness that you described. But as much as I'd like to hold and taste and smell that wholesomeness, I appreciate the manna you gave me even more!
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