In Praise of Leftovers

 

When the feast is over and Tupperware containers are full,

When the laughter lingering in the air from yesterday begins to slip out the door,

When the glow of gratitude starts to flicker and fade in the face of the headlines today,

When the commercials begin to blast and blare the “gospel” of “We consume therefore we are,”

When the year takes a turn to wind down and wrap up as the last month creeps up to our door,

It is here I pause I wonder about leftovers.

The pie that yesterday was whole, is still deliciously waiting for me.

The leftover sweet potato casserole once steaming hot, has had time to absorb the spices.

The remains of the turkey eagerly anticipate new life found in sandwiches and casseroles.

Let Thanksgiving linger not only in the leftovers of your fridge, but in the practices of our soul.

Let Thanksgiving continue amid the perplexity and complexity of life, trusting that life is not a math problem to solve but an art project to collaborate with our Creator and all creation.

Let Thanksgiving leave an impression that what you felt yesterday is true and can be trusted, the joy was not fleeting and fading.

Let Thanksgiving be more than yesterday, by a way of life today and for the todays that follow in the weeks to come. 

For as we live gratitude as a value, we generatively let loose a light that the world didn’t give to us so the world can’t take it away. 

Happy day after Thanksgiving, may God continue to gather the leftovers of our lives to cook up and create delicious recipes that feed and fuels our lives for the sake of the world God so loves.  Amen and Amen.