Food!

Yesterday was our annual inter-office Thanksgiving feast. And it was delicious as always. Of course, for me the highlights were my mom’s dressing and Laura’s squash casserole. Two of my favorite things. But then I had a lot of other dishes with them, too.

And not that we are a disagreeable lot to begin with, but nothing brings us together quite like food. We have meals like that every few months, and everyone seems to have a good time being together and talking. And of course eating, too. People rearrange their schedules to make sure they are there for those meals. And then we all eat the leftovers for a few days after them, which is nice, too.

It is interesting to me how everyone can seem to agree over food. But it really makes sense. Because, as I told someone the other day, hunger strikes one out of every one people. We all get hungry. We all have to eat. Most all of us like to eat. Some of us like to eat even more than others of us. But it is something we all have to do.

You can go on a hunger strike, but that will only last for so long. Then, the food starts calling to you. “You know you like me,” says the hamburger. “I am all the food groups rolled into one,” says the pizza. “Who cares about good nutrition,” says the brownies. And who can resist calls like those?

I have noticed the same thing at our church, too. I would guess that other churches are the same way. You can have any kind of activity, and it may go well. Throw in a meal of some sort, and your attendance will almost certainly go up. Our church is full of good cooks, so a church potluck meal is always a filling time, spiritually and physically.

Holiday gatherings follow much of the same pattern. Who gets together for the holidays without eating? Thanksgiving and Christmas are certainly high on that list, but then so are Independence Day, Memorial Day, and even birthdays. Celebrating is good. Celebrating with a full stomach is much easier.

So as Thanksgiving approaches, I am thankful for all the good cooks in my life. And for leftovers, too.

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