Come to the Table

A Black Squirrel Feasting at Breakfast

Rye, New York

October 2010

Luke 14:15 NIV

"When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."

Mom, dad, Teri, Rob and I stood in our backyard on April 3, 1974, looking at the sky. Overhead were rapidly moving storm cells swirling ominously northward toward Dayton, Ohio. One of the cells had already destroyed Sayler Park by the Ohio River. Soon Xenia, Ohio, would be devastated.

Dad had raced home from work as mom prepared our supper. Laid out on the kitchen table were salmon patties, peas, corn and rolls. In the 1970s, fast food was not an option, and families actually sat at the table together to eat home cooked meals.

Mom worked full time during the day, so coming home to prepare dinner took effort on her part.

Dad had rushed up northbound I-75, not necessarily for mom's salmon patties, but because a tornado was chasing him. He could look in the rear view mirror of the car and see the storm cell following him as he headed toward Forest Park. By the time he got into the house, he was a nervous wreck. When he told us what had happened, we all went out back to look to the south.

As we watched the dark sky, we could see the swirling clouds and dangerous entrails searching for a place to land. We were mesmerized. Over 148 tornadoes were reported in several states from April 3-4, 1974. We watched history unfold over our backyard.

Finally, hunger bested our curiosity, and we headed into the house. We knew if we had to run into the basement for protection from a tornado we could be down the steps in seconds. We were relatively calm considering the weather conditions around us.

As we turned into the kitchen where our dinner had been laid out on the table waiting for us, we stopped in shock. What we saw was not what we expected, nor were we delighted.

Muffin, our dog, had decided to seize the moment and eat our dinner all by herself, while we had our backs to her. She ate nearly all of it. She had taken advantage of the feast placed before her.

We chased her out of the kitchen and away from the table, but the damage had been done. We had to scrounge around for dinner on our own that night.

God prepares a feast for me everyday. My attitude is the only part of me that keeps me from partaking in it.

Muffin figured out on April 3, 1974, how to take advantage of the gift set before her. She didn't ask if the dinner belonged to her, she just assumed it was hers for the taking.

I have to do a better job myself feasting on the richness of God and delving into his love and the gifts he bestows on me.

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Lord, thank you for preparing your feast for me to partake of.