“Berr-ing” Joy

“I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” – John 15:11 (NRSVUE)

“Dad, why does she give us raspberries?” asked a 4 year old in our neighborhood.  

“She knows we like raspberries and she has extras,” his father replied. 

 “Plus, it brings me joy to be able to share them with you.” I said as I handed them the container of freshly-picked raspberries from our garden.  They both smiled and continued on their walk, while I returned to tending to Travis’ and my front yard pollinator garden.

Moments later, another neighbor, who regularly walks by our house with her dog, came towards me.  I put down my gloves and asked, “Would you like some of our raspberries?”  

Her face immediately lit up as she said, “Yes, please!  You know how much we love your raspberries.”  I went inside our house and got a container of the raspberries. 

“How have you been?  I have not seen you for a bit,” I asked her as I brought them out to her.  Over the next several minutes, she shared how she had just spent the previous night in the emergency room due to a chronic illness she has. However, she was feeling better today and looked forward to eating the raspberries.  After we finished speaking, she returned to her walk and I to our garden.

Several moments later (and I’m not making this up!), a woman whom I didn’t recognize started walking up the street towards me.  I put down my gloves and asked, “Would you like some of our raspberries?”  

Her face, too, immediately lit up as she said, “Yes, please!  I love raspberries, and I miss being able to enjoy the ones that used to grow in my grandparents’ garden.”   I went inside our house and got a container of the raspberries. 

As I brought them to her, I asked, “I don’t recall seeing you in our neighborhood before.  Are you new to this area?”  Over the next several minutes, she shared how she had just lost her job for a fairly large firm in downtown Pittsburgh, which is why she now had time to explore new areas to walk (she lived in a nearby neighborhood) and how she was going to be alright because she was able to live with her parents.  However, she was really concerned about some of her coworkers, who were now in a real financial bind.  After we continued to speak for a few more minutes, she returned to her walk and I to our garden, feeling completely overwhelmed with joy.  I had only expected to pull some weeds, but instead God shared this gift with me. 

What made this experience even more joyful was the fact that the initial raspberry plants that helped to establish our raspberry bed now were acquired from a church (where Travis worked while pursuing his doctoral degree) who shared property with a school who put in a garden.  As is the nature of raspberries, the plants tend to wander from the beds in which they are planted… other garden beds, lawns, you name it, they will try to grow there!

One summer, after multiple weeks of seeing some young raspberry plants get mowed over by the landscaping company who tended to the lawns of the two properties, Travis asked if we could transplant some of the young plants to our yard.  They said, “Help yourself.”

Fast forward ten years – we have harvested gallons of amazing raspberries and have been able to give away both numerous containers of raspberry and dozens of raspberry plants to family members and neighbors who have shared (both the fruit and the plants) with others.  All of this was made possible because others shared their resources with us.

Throughout this year, we’ve been exploring common (but often overlooked) aspects of our discipleship — for example, how we use our time and extend our hospitality.In this edition, we are focused on the blessings that come from sharing our resources.  As the summer starts to fade and as we enter a new season teeming with possibilities (a new school year, a new church year, a new chapter in our lives) I want to encourage us all to consider — what resource(s), big or small, may God be calling us to share with others?  

May all be well,

Karen H. Webster

HSHC Co-founder/Executive Director

Hospitality: An Industry or an Act of Discipleship?

“Let mutual affection continue.  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” – Hebrews 13:1-2 (NRSVUE)

Firm, yet slightly soft to the touch.  Golden yellow with a deep red blush kissing its shoulder.  Sweet, fruity, tangy, with a subtle floral aroma capturing the quintessential smell and taste of summer.  It truly was a sensory delight, boasting bright colors, an alluring aroma, and a flavor that caused my mind to do cartwheels, since the days of doing physical cartwheels are behind me!  

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to enjoy my first summer peach while Travis and I were visiting his family in South Carolina, which for the record produces the most peaches of any state in the South — including Georgia, who endearingly likes to call itself “The Peach State.”   Bless their hearts!

Given that folks in South Carolina know a thing or two about peaches, I was fortunate to be able to have that wonderful experience to kickoff the fantastic summer produce season — peaches, for sure, but also blueberries, cherries, plums, corn, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and more — in such a delightful and delectable way.

In fact, it was in this experience of eating that peach (and subsequent ones) that I was given the opportunity to marvel, once again, at the magnificence of God’s hospitality. 

Yes, the peach did provide nourishment, which is one aspect of providing hospitality.  However, the sheer variety of colors, textures, flavors, and scents of peaches — as well as other fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains — demonstrate subtly, but profoundly, God’s unconditional love, kindness, and generosity for and towards us.

It is pretty common these days to think of “hospitality” as providing food to friends and family, or perhaps in terms of the multi-trillion-dollar global industry that includes hotels, restaurants, and often food-related tourist activities.

However, in past centuries, and really up until the 18^th century, hospitality included not only sharing food with family and friends, BUT ALSO with strangers.  And in addition to providing food, hospitality used to also include offering shelter and protection.  

Extending hospitality was not only a common practice across cultures but also was fundamental to Christian discipleship. The Bible repeatedly demonstrates the richer, broader, expanded vision for what hospitality is and should be. 

 The supreme example is Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan.

During the third week of our summer series (the week of July 13th), we will explore the role of hospitality by looking at it through the lens of “what we eat.”  We hope you will join us then, and in the meantime, we hope you will pause to consider the following reflection questions:

• What aspects of providing hospitality do you enjoy?
• What makes hospitality challenging (both offering and receiving it)?
• Where do you see your community of faith offering hospitality the way Jesus intended?  In what ways could they fulfill that ministry more fully?

May All Be Well,

Karen H. Webster

HSHC Co-Founder/Executive Director

1“By the eighteenth century, hospitality was viewed by many as an antiquated practice, out of step with busy commercial society, a relic from an earlier time.”  Christine D Pohl. Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan. 2024, p. 25.

It is not much to look at!  The once-vivid display of color is now washed out.  Many of the blooms are spent, and the aging tomato vines struggle to hold their fruit.  In many instances, things have literally gone to seed (as captured in the forefront of the photo from left to right – parley, dill, and fennel), and much of the eager anticipation of what is to come has started to fade like a late summer sunset.  The garden isn’t perfect.  But, it is absolutely well enough.

This summer, as Travis and I explored the societal pressure of “perfection” as part of our four-week Summer Series, one of the phrases that came up fairly often in our conversations after worship or during our educational opportunities (in person and online) was the notion of “good enough.”  In other words, rather than striving for “perfection,” many people found that aiming for “good enough” was much more realistic and attainable.  

Now, on the one hand, I absolutely agreed when people shared this sentiment with me; but, at the same time, I found it unsettling.  Why?   The words “good enough,” at least in my mind, kept feeling like an excuse to do things half-heartedly, almost a sort of cop-out.  This wasn’t what people were implying, but that is what my heart kept hearing.  I was feeling the tension between wanting to do things well and taking healthy pride in what I do, while also wanting to remember God’s role and God’s grace in the midst of it all. 

Upon reflecting on why I felt this way, I realized I needed to discover other words that I could use for myself that others might appreciate, too.  It turns out that the phrase “well enough” actually fits what I was looking for, more so than I realized.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of “well” includes [1]*:

• “ in a good or proper manner”
• “satisfactorily with respect to conduct or action”
• “in a kindly or friendly manner”
• “in a way appropriate to the facts or circumstances”

Thus, for me, “well enough” means striving towards excellence (proper manner, satisfactory action, rooted in kindness) while at the same time humbly acknowledging and relying on God’s grace (“for my grace is sufficient for you”) and power (through Christ who dwells in me) to approach the circumstances appropriately.  Or, more simply put, “well enough” in my mind means striving to do things “well” while also being prayerfully attentive to when “enough” is enough!

Returning to our garden, it certainly isn’t what it was several months ago, but its actions are absolutely “appropriate to the circumstances.”  For example, the sunflower petals are beginning to shrivel up and the stems can barely hold the weight of the plants now, so it may seem as though the beauty of the plants (their “perfection”) is starting to wane.  However, the sunflowers are signaling to us, the many goldfinches (one hidden in the photo), and other pollinators that visit our garden that the seeds are ready to harvest.  Similarly, the “spent” (dying) parsley, dill, and fennel plants are all currently preparing to sow their seeds upon the earth so that new plants will come again next spring.

The late-summer garden is not the beautiful, fresh garden of the spring, nor should it be.  Rather, it is exactly what it is supposed to be right now: producing food for animals who are preparing for the winter and putting down the seeds that will sprout into next season’s life when winter breaks.  It is a well-enough garden, appropriate for its time, place, and function.  Perhaps we can take a lesson from this for our own lives: rather than trying to live into some constant, objective, elusive notion of “perfection,” we can recognize that we are well enough, too.

May all be well (enough),

Karen H. Webster

HSHC co-founder/executive director

P.S. – Please check out our “Health Highlight” section in our September 2024 newsletter for some “well enough” reflection questions and several articles that provide some strategies for approaching “perfection” in a healthier way. 

Reference:

1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/well