Daily Bread ~ On Breakfast

Greetings Dear Reader,

Breakfast is surely my favorite meal of the day.  I used to love making breakfast on Saturday mornings for my Sons and any students who showed up.  It is not just the eating but the process.  The cooking, the smells, and the coffee all combine to provide an experience that I enjoy.

When my Sons were little they never wondered if there would be breakfast in the morning.  They never asked me when I tucked them in at night if we had food for breakfast.  When Bezel was very small he would rush to wherever I was immediately demanding, “I want my cereal.”  Maxim, the eldest was more restrained and simply followed his brother to wherever breakfast was being prepared.

They knew that their father would make breakfast for them.  They knew that their parents would provide food for them.  We are supposed to KNOW that the Father will provide our daily bread.  He will be there in the morning to break our fast.  He will provide not only what we need but wants to provide what our hearts desire.  I am not touching on misguided worship of abundance here.  Instead, I want to adopt a view of the Father as a good provider of what we need as we greet him each morning.

We are supposed to expect him to provide.  We are allowed to count on him to give us a breakfast that starts our day with joy in who he is to us as his children.  Expecting him to provide does not mean that we expect him to provide more than what we need or to provide in the way we proscribe.  Rather, it is expecting that he will be there to break our fast, get us started on our day, and send us into it with the joy of his love for us.

In trying to embrace dependence upon the Father for my daily bread in every way, I realize that the coffee is so much more than I have thought of it before.  It is a shared moment of meeting.  That first smell of it brewing that brings me joy is not just the pleasure of an aroma.  It is a Father reminding me that he loves me. 

The taste of my morning meal is a reminder that a loving Father wants to provide for all my needs as I follow his Son.  It is the moment each day when I get to remember that even though I am adopted he loves me so much that he allowed his only true Son to suffer to accomplish my adoption.  That is the Father to whom Jesus refers when he tells us to ask for our daily bread.

Do I wake up expecting that the Father will give me my daily bread each day?  Do you, Dear Reader?  It comes again to faith.  I must expect in faith each day that the Father will provide if I simply follow.  That is and should be enough.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Second Thoughts – Crema Cafe

Greetings Dear Reader,

Sometimes I will end the day with thoughts that are important to get out.  Usually I just write them and put them in my journal folder.  I have chosen that on occasion I will share them with you Dear Reader.

Crema Café is a simple but by no means simplistic eatery on Madison’s East Side.  Literally a scone’s throw from lake Monona it is almost hidden by the small strip mall in which it resides.  It is, however, worth finding.

I love trying new diners and cafés.  I did not venture to this one accidentally.  A former student works here and we wanted to reconnect.  I brought my Daughter for a Sunday brunch a few weeks ago.  I was pleased to see my student again but was also surprised by the reasonably priced high quality fare.

I chose the Killer Scramble (smoked salmon, sautéed leeks, local goat cheese, 3 eggs w/ toast and petite salad).   I did not inquire as to whether the actual goat or its cheese was local.  I was too taken by the excellent portion and quality balance of the food.  Smoked salmon can overpower a dish but not in this case.  It was rich and sweet to a perfect complement of the goat cheese.  The leeks were properly sautéed and rendered their flavor to harmonize with the dish, 

My Daughter chose the Breakfast Sandwich (Fried egg, local smoked bacon, cheddar-herb cream cheese, and frisée on ciabatta).  Her palate is much harder to please than mine but she found it wonderful.  She liked it enough that she had the same thing on our second visit.

The atmosphere is relaxed.  They offer sidewalk seating when the weather allows.  Tea and coffee are abundant in quantity and variety.  The staff is friendly and energetic.  It is very busy on weekend mornings but I also chose to linger whilst writing on a weekday.  It was made clear that I could sit as long as I wished.  

I urge you to try this hidden gem. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Explaining Hominy

Greetings Dear Reader,

For those of you who do not know what Hominy is I will explain briefly.  First let me explain how I came to need to explain it to an Australian.  My Daughter Christmas is from Australia.  I will get back to that.

Hominy is made from field corn.  That corn is dried hen treated by soaking and cooking the (hard) grain in a dilute solution of lye, slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) or wood ash, a process termed nixtamalization. The soaked maize is washed, and then ground into masa. When fresh masa is dried and powdered, it becomes masa seca or masa harina. (Wikipedia)  My favorite use of Hominy is Grits.

We were having breakfast at Cracker Barrel and grits arrived at the table.  Christmas inquired as to what this was and I offered that they were called Grits.  She said, “Grits?”

I responded with the joke my Grandfather always told when someone asked about Grits.  I asked, “How many Grits?” but pronounced it “Hominy Grits.”   She was perplexed so I explained to her how Grits were made.  She did get the pun as I explained and that elicited an eye roll and a groan.  She also assured me that she would have no desire to eat such an oddity.

The thing is that we were speaking the same language and she still did not have the context to understand my pun or my words.  I had to give her the context in which to see it.  It did not make the pun any better but now when I automatically speak it when there are grits present then I am understood.

I think the important take away for me is that I must be clear when I communicate.  I cannot assume that anyone understands when I talk about Jesus and his importance.  I must be sure that I speak only of Christ in terms that are clear to everyone.  Religious terms can cloud our communication if we are unclear.  If I am to represent Christ well then I must do so not only with my life but with clear words.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)