STEP ONE: BREATHE

Take a deep, cleansing breath. Allow the air to fill your lungs and expand your body. Exhale and empty yourself into the room. Repeat three times - once for the one who Created you, once for the Incarnate One who walks beside you, and once for the Spirit whose life fills your being.

STEP TWO: DWELL IN WORD

The Parable of the Marigolds and vegetables:

To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God?

It is like a wise woman who planted marigolds between the rows of vegetables in her garden. Her friends found the unusual agricultural practice strange and unsettling. She was the only one they knew who mixed flowers with peppers and tomatoes. The neighbors talked about her without kindness. They judged her to be a misguided freak. She was labeled a “radical” who sought to dismantle tradition in favor of new-fangled and dangerous ideas. What was next? Did she plan to eat the flowers?

The wise woman disregarded the chatter. Instead of defending herself, each morning, she tended her garden and delighted in its growth.

Before long, the neighborhood gossip shifted to outright envy. Although the neighbors were reluctant to admit it, her garden outshone all the others. Not only were the flowers pleasing to the eye but the marigolds kept away most of the bugs.

The only insects to visit the wise woman's garden were the bees that helped to pollinate the crops of nearby farms. Although all her critics needed to use toxic chemicals to ward off pests, the wise woman's garden remained organic.

At harvest time, there was no question as to whose garden produced better-tasting vegetables. There was also no question about which garden was most beautiful.

A Question to Ponder:

Where do you find yourself close-minded or not open to new ideas?

STEP THREE: PRAY

You can use the following prayer today as you pray at mealtime.

God of all, you have richly blessed creation with wondrous diversity. Thank you for the bounty of food to which we have access and which we can enjoy. Bless the food upon this table so that it might strengthen our bodies and allow us to celebrate differences. Through Jesus, Amen.