Back in Birmingham

Everything is so green! While in Mendoza, Tamara and I often commented on the vegetation. It was beautiful, yet so different. Mendoza is arid and dry, and it was fall there. When we returned to Alabama a week ago, it was anything but arid and dry, and it is spring here. Our yard was approaching a jungle-like character, and the greens are varied and lush.

This past week has been one of many transitions - fall to spring, Argentina to Alabama, Spanish to English, South to North, just to name a few. Tamara had to dive right back into her residency at the hospital less than 24 hours after our arrival. The kids are back in school now, and they've both enjoyed reuniting with friends here in Birmingham.

I've begun this second stage of my sabbatical journey and am in my first week in the kitchen at Highlands Bar and Grill. They have a wonderful team assembled, and everyone has been so gracious to make room for me there. I'm learning a lot, on my feet a lot and hope I can help at least a little.

I've also begun my second stage of sabbatical reading, and I had no idea how pertinent these readings would be at this time. The international food situation was a pressing topic in Argentina, and the morning we returned it was fodder for conversation here also. The first in my reads about food is Food for Life: The Spirituality and Ethics of Eating by L. Shannon Jung.

Jung contends (and I agree) that "food and eating are important avenues toward understanding God's presence in the world." He talks about our hunger, our bodies, the gift of food and the importance of both enjoying and sharing it. Might be worth the read.

I'll end with a couple of thoughts from Jung's opening chapter (before I head off to the kitchen). "My fear is that the foundational meaning of eating and drinking may be lost, both the experience of eating and also what Christians understand about food when they say grace or celebrate the Eucharist... Celebrating the Lord's Supper is an invitation into Jesus' death and resurrection. It is no coincidence that this invitation comes at the table that meets our deepest hunger. This table also celebrates our ability to give - to live out to some extent the gracious giving-ness of God - and thus express hope for the world."

Peace...