Being in a closed nation where the schedule is not busy and we spend a chuck of our time in at home hanging out, playing games, studying the language, listening to podcasts, journaling, watching HEROS, and but the last 48 hours I have found myself lost in this book; Bread & Wine. Note, I am not much of a reader. I desire to be but the reality is 95% of the time would be found doing one of the things listed above. When I got my hands on this book there was no putting it down. Shauna Niequist dives into writing about the key of Hospitality, community, food, and creating memories around the table.
"We throw open the Front door and invite people into our home. Despite the size and its imperfections. We practice hospitality creating soft and safe places for people to connect and rest."
My heart longs for that, growing up in America you don't see the depth of hospitality written in these words or even what i am discovering about hospitality here in the Middle East. When I was in Oman last year I did get awaken to this aspect of life but i had no vision or direction to apply to my own life. Living in a dorm room with seven other girls where you can't cook/host people it kinda closes the door of opening up the your home per-say. This year tho, I am taking notes left and right to apply when i go home this fall for a season of 'rest'. A season to explore cooking, hosting, and building relationships. Shauna dives into being transparent to her family, friends and community. Not being a fake host trying to have it all together but a host who is real with her guests. I am inspired to explore opening up my doors of my future home and just inviting people into vulnerability and creating a space of love. Our lives are short, kids grow up fast, gray hairs come sooner then expected so we can't waste relationship and creating memories. We need to value the dinner table, the table isn't to walk away with nutrition but more so walk away with deeper revelations and connections to people/your family. Lets promise our families to commit to the table and let time stand still to just embrace fellowship. Here are two aspects, opening your door to neighbors for a dinner party&drinks also the other aspect is to your nightly family dinner. Both can't be overlooked or put off for next week we will all get together or tomorrow we will sit together. Time is now.
Here is the middle east our team gets invited into homes after meeting them one time on the street. Its a genuine invitation and a raw sight to see. The majority of people here have broken environments in one way or another and the only true thing they can count on is each other. War could break out at any second but as long as they come together drinking tea on the floor and laugh about the simple things it was a good day.
"When you offer peace instead of division, When you offer faith instead of fear, when you offer someone a place at your table instead of keeping them away all represent the heart of christ. "
Dream is to break bread and drink wine with family and not have time keep a hold of us but staying late into the night telling stories. Communion is remembrance, being in fellowship is captivating and lets engage with the people in your community. Shauna is a foodie, and a friend gatherer, and it's crystal clear to me that she should have married all of these things in her writing ages ago. Because this book feels effortless, it feels like she was writing in all the ways that she was meant to write. I just ate it up.
Bread & Wine is a unique book because it's personal essays with recipes. It's most definitely not a cookbook, even though I wanted to make every recipe in it. It's more than personal memoir, because it seemed I could relate to every chapter, even the ones that I shouldn't have been able to relate to.
Grab a cup of wine and open read this book & have your heart inspired.
