Bread for the journey

In December, or maybe even in early January, I finally read a little phrase which made sense of something important that has been happening in my life. Here's part of the quote: "Many of us will be aware in our own experiences of this food for the journey - the 'viaticum' of Catholic piety. When we needed it most, God fed us. Our 'manna' may have been literally the Eucharist... but it may also have been another's prayer, or a friendly visit, or a word of scripture... Like manna in the desert, it was not to be kept and hoarded: it was food for that day, and that day alone. Food is given to be gratefully consumed, to become part of us. As the modern health slogan says, 'You are what you eat'."

I can't tell you how much that quotation, from Hope in the Wilderness, by David Winter, jumped out at me! It applied so directly to the books I'd been reading, the blogs I'd found, and the support of some of you super bloggers out there. What had been surprising me all year was that many of the most profound things I was learning were coming from non-Christian sources, so how was God speaking to me through them all? That quotation seemed to put it all into context - these books and blogs and blogging contacts have been God's way of feeding me in a difficult year, and also of preparing me for both challenges and blessings which continue to come. Without them (and therefore without you, blogging friends), I don't quite know where I would be, or how my family would be coping. So this year I continue to gratefully consume what God is putting before me, even if the source of some of it isn't what I would have thought of as 'kosher' before this last year! I need to test it as I read, but that is second nature to me. The harder part is not rejecting it simply because it's not what I'm used to.j

Lent is coming - Mardi Gras is on Tuesday 8th March, the day we fly back to France. If you would like to join in A Pause in Lent with me this year, do have a look at this logo on my sidebar, because it includes a link to tell you more. Just leave a comment on this post or any later ones if you'd like to join in!

I nearly forgot - the photo at the top of this post is of Son 1 doing sit-ups in our Coulée Verte - the 'green corridor' provided for recreation in our market town.