<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68);" class="">Grace</span></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(68, 68, 68);" class=""> <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">Though the world is dented and dinged</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">and scuffed and scorned,</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">we trim the beans and peel the potatoes,</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">and the kitchen is warm and full</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">of laughter. We hum as we work</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">and break into scraps of song.</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">All day our hands are joyful</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">as they prepare the meal to come.</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">There are wars and battles even now,</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">not all of them fought with guns,</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">some waged intimately in our thoughts,</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">our scraped up hearts. And still,</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">this scent of apple pie, sweetening</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">as it bakes, this inner insistence</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">that love is not only possible,</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">it is every bit as real as our fear.</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">Whether the host has brought</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">out his best wine and his best crystal glasses</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">or water in chipped clay cups,</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">there is every reason</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">to be generous, to serve not only</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">our family, our friends, ourselves,</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">but also those we don’t yet know how to love</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">and those parts of ourselves we</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">have tried to keep separate.</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">Tonight the host has hidden bait</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">in the dinner—we all are caught.</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">Scent of sage, scent of mushrooms</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">and cream. The bite of cranberry.</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">Never mind the potatoes cooked too long.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">Blessings seep into all the imperfect places,<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">even if you can’t name the blessings—<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">consider them secret ingredients.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">The point is not to understand the feast,<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class="">but to eat, to eat it together.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Rosemerry Trommer</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><o:p class=""> </o:p></p></div></body></html>