“What’s that smell?” Grace asked.
“I think it’s the soup,” Andrew chimed in.
“No way,” said Evangeline with fear in her voice. She had spent hours chopping, stirring, and seasoning, hoping to treat the assistants for DSP Appreciation Week.
“Maybe we should taste it and see,” Andrew suggested.
“Are you brave enough?” Grace teased.
Andrew dipped a spoon into the pot, took a cautious sip, and his cheerful face instantly showed his repulsion at the taste.
“It’s burnt,” said Andrew.
“Try the other pot,” Evangeline said hopefully.
Andrew sampled the second pot with even more caution. Once again, his face filled with disgust. The second pot was burnt as well. The three began to panic. It was mere moments before dinner time, and suddenly their entire meal was inedible. Hungry eyes from around the room began to look at the group, wondering how much longer until dinner was ready. Evangeline screamed, “NOOO,” and scurried the two, as well as Kim, our Board President, into the pantry for an urgent huddle.
After much debate, the group decided to opt for a classic backup plan that they knew the community would be happy with: pizza. Kim and Grace went to pick up the pizza, Andrew prepared a salad with whatever ingredients he could gather from the pantry, and Evangeline started the bonfire that would be used for s’mores following dinner.
Finally, the food arrived, and it was time for dinner. Before dinner was served, Evangeline led a quick liturgy.
“Just like not every part of an onion or squash belongs in the pot,” she said, “when we gather at the table, it is good to take a minute to let go of the things that keep us apart.” The room chuckled at the soup metaphors, but Evangeline continued.
“We let go of our shame, which tells us to hide from each other. We let go of our resentment, which tells us we cannot grow. We let go of our pride, which tells us we are done learning from each other. And if there is something hard to let go of, we commit to sharing it with each other.”
Then she smiled and admitted she too needed to learn to let go, especially of her disappointment over the burnt soup. Instead, she should savor the time she shares with the community and the growth that comes from making mistakes.
In the end, it all worked out. The pizza was delicious, and core members and assistants had fun playing a game to see who was brave enough to taste the infamous burnt soup. Most importantly, our community was together, sharing in laughter and joy.
