A Loaf of Bread, a Jug of Wine and Thou

The picnic spread out on the rustic table looked scrumptious. Our resourceful daughter had laid out crusty sandwiches, chips, cheese (the soft kind in foil wedges), tiny individual packs of peanut butter, and a tantalizing, moist loaf of apple bread she had made this morning, still warm from the oven, all to be washed down by bottle of sparkling apple juice she produced!

The lake behind us sparkled, too, as fish jumped and the sun shone through the branches of the tall pines. We were at Red Top Mountain, her family's favorite get-away and popular recreation area. It was quiet today, though, with only an occasional walker strolling down the path, or a lone long-boarder gliding silently on the smooth water, propelled by the slender pole he held.

Amy is a picnic buff, and as such makes memorable fare.  It was her day off, and when she suggested a picnic, it sounded wonderful!  Just getting up and down the mountain was an experience for us flatlanders.  "You won't get carsick, will you, Mom?" she asked, "the roads are pretty curvy."

Well, they were a little steep, too, but the views were worth it.  Cabins nestled cozily in the pines, a front-porch sitter behind a railing, towel drying in the morning sun and flapping in the breeze, children tentatively picking their way through the trees.  "This is where I had our kids gather huge acorns I shellacked," she said.  I had seen some in a decorative bowl at her house in an attractive arrangement.

Being out in God's creation like this brings new appreciation and awe of His majesty.  I think of Jesus at the Last Supper, when He broke the bread and served wine as a remembrance of His broken body and shed blood. Since walking was the main way people traveled back then, I can imagine Jesus and his followers stopping under the shade of trees and maybe near a stream for a midday lunch or evening meal, probably produced from hampers or bundles carried, or perhaps a supper of fish caught in the stream.  I'm sure conversation flowed freely as friends gathered close, even as did talk at our picnic table.  A type of communion.