FOOD FOR THOUGHT
(08/22/2010)
CRUMBS
Cindy Hong
The trip to Boston last month included a detour to Cape Cod for the aunt
to attend a conference. After dropping her off at 7:30 am, the uncle and
I were told to stay out of trouble until her release at 12:30 pm. Being
coffee addicts, we looked for places that served coffee and wouldn't mind
us leeching off a table or two for a few hours. I mentally added free
wi-fi to the list. We found such a place at Seven Beans. They brew Caribou
coffee, whose motto is “Life is short. Stay awake for it.”
Perfect. Besides the highly caffeinated coffee, they also sell these monstrous
muffins in all flavors. Armed with a chocolate muffin and large coffee,
I headed for a table; the uncle plopped down at the couches and coffee
table with his stash. A few minutes later, a retired couple visiting from
Connecticut joined him on the couches and they chatted away like old friends.
The thing I noticed about this man is that as he kept talking, more muffin
pieces ended up on the table than in his mouth. I usually wouldn't notice
because, well, they're crumbs. But these were big chunky crumbs, easily
a muffin buffet for a bird or two. After 90 minutes of exchanging life
stories, the couple left and the barista zoomed over to vacuum the crumbs
and wipe away all the evidence. Her actions reminded me of my own, wanting
to get rid of the crumbs because they're a nuisance and have a built-in
ant magnet. But when I finally stopped to look at the crumbs that morning
because, hey, I wasn't going anywhere soon, it was obvious these were
bite-size lemony-flavored mouth-watering crumbs. Which led me to wonder,
how often do I rush from here to there, not taking time to slow down or
be present? How often do I focus on this or that, if God were to “show
up,” I'd miss him? Perhaps God works in and through crumb-size things
to see if we're paying attention. If we miss the little things, will we
really notice the bigger things? A baby's first smile…a child's hand
in ours…a word of encouragement…the smell of freshly brewed coffee…the
sun setting over the horizon. Little things. None stay for long. If we're
busy, we just might miss them. If we savor them, it's a glimpse of God.
Turns out there's a bake shop that started in New York called Crumbs.
They specialize in cupcakes, helping people celebrate the small things
in life. We celebrate God of the universe, whose compassions are new every
morning, whose love is steadfast, and whose faithfulness so great. His
crumbs flavor everything. Are we willing to taste and see for ourselves?
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