Good morning…
How happy was I when my almost twenty-one year old son called to ask, “Taking a break from studying for finals, can I have some guys over Saturday night for Stromboli?” Having our college son ask me to cook for his friends is my pure joy. This is when my spiritually attentive, peaceful Mary-part weds my busy-in-the-kitchen, productive Martha-part (see my 10.25.15 post, “Balancing our Mary and Martha”). This is also sacred ground for my husband and me. He cleans while I cook. I cook more while he serves. We clear and clean dishes together while our guests lounge, stuffed and satisfied. Hosting in our home, God usually balances our Mary-parts and our Martha-parts quite well.
Making Stromboli from scratch is a labor of love. Serving twelve hungry college kids is no easy task. Hearing football-watching-frenzy wafting up from our basement and receiving full bellied thanks at the end of the night, these simple pleasures make the hard work worthwhile.
Where will my son be living after he graduates in eighteen months? How often will he have time off from his first real job to come home for Stromboli? What new people, passions, priorities will fill his life then? There is so much unknown in his future, which directly impacts my unknown future. All the more reason to labor in love now. Serve seamlessly with my husband now. Slice up fresh crust, hot cheese, and layered meats now. To savor and share joy, now is the time.
After looking at the way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now, Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 (MSG),
Sue
