My dear friends from Nashua came for a visit and left me some rhubarb from their garden. Well our retired or more preferred label “senior priest” looks up grandma’s recipe for rhubarb crumble. It said cheat and buy a pie crust but I decided to challenge myself and found a flaky pie crust recipe.
Following grandma’s recipe, we started chopping the rhubarb that called for three cups rhubarb but I had only 2 ¼. No problem I’ll just run down the street to TOPS in Attica and get a few more stalks. To my surprise, no rhubarb in the store. This means we have to drive into Batavia and check the TOPS produce. Again, I see none in the veggie case so I ask a young clerk if they have any rhubarb. His response, I just started working, so I nudge him and said, “Could you go ask someone if there is any in the back.” Somewhat bewildered he walks off, several minutes later he appears and says there’s none in the store. You got to be kidding I say to myself. Isn’t this rhubarb season. Back in my car, I google Batavia, NY farm markets and see several outside of town, so I call the first one and voicemail says, "Hi, this is Stan and Judy we’re not here right now.” Now the blood pressure is really hitting the roof. I’m short three quarters of a cup and no stalk to be found in Batavia. Then I realize what about Walmart grocery. Google again, rhubarb and Walmart and there’s a photo of the plant. So off I drive, walk into the veggie section, scan the aisle and again none to be found. I see two Walmart produce ladies and “kindly” ask: “where’s the rhubarb," and they reply, "we don’t carry rhubarb in the store."
At that moment, I wanted to show them my cell phone screen with a picture of the rhubarb in the Walmart store. I held my ground, but inside we were hitting the roof. Whose else might carry this plant. There’s BJ’s but to save time, I call and a young says, “what’s rhubarb?” No, I say rhubarb, it’s a vegetable.” Dead silence, "can you ask if BJ’s carries rhubarb." Several minutes later, the voice comes back and says, "sorry we don’t have rhubarb...have a nice day." That’s it! I’m ready to explode when I turn to our maker and pray: Lord, what are You trying to teach me here. I just need another cup to finish the darn recipe. The farm markets are closed on Wednesday, the groceries stores ran out and I am short. Not only in the recipe but I have a short fuse. I make a left hand turn to start out of town when out of the corner of my eye I spot a food stand along the road with the word printed on the sign:” RHUBARB.” Really, I say to myself, you guys have been hiding all the time.
I pull over, get out of the car and shout to this guy. Any rhubarb, he says, I just picked 5 baskets today. Lucky for me he had five stalks left. Now I wonder was there a moment Jesus blood pressure hit the roof.
You bet, like the time he started teaching in his own town and the response comes: Who is this kid? Who does he think he is teaching us anything about God. Isn't he Mary’s child down the street, didn’t his dad use to make table and chairs before he passed. Worse, it says, that outside of a few healings, Jesus could work no miracles in his own village.
How sad, when you put people in a box. We assume we know all about them and that they have nothing valuable to offer us so we close our eyes and hope they go away. Or worse, we hear and see them and our blood pressure goes off the roof because we fail to take a breath and see things will work out in the end. Like I knew all the time, this guy would be selling rhubarb at four in the afternoon after checking out a half dozen other stores.
Lord when we hit the wall, our blood pressure boils over from stuff we can’t control or put people in a box, give us patience and the wisdom to slow down, and let go and allow Your grace to relieve our stress and know good things will come if we just stop being so miserable and stubborn and allow your grace to take root in our hearts.
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, know at this very moment I’m getting the rhubarb crumble ready to put in the oven. After it cooled out of the oven, we tasted the rhubarb crumble and to my surprise, it was sweet and yummy. My soulmate said, now aren’t you glad I pushed you to make the rhubarb.. Sometimes all our faith needs is a little courage and perserverance. Sounds like the ingredients Jesus used when his the religious leaders and his own people rejected him. Instead of getting upset and boiling over, in faith he persevered and continued to heal and spread the good news. Courage and perserverance. Sounds like a good recipe to take home today. Don’t you think!
