Meat - Bread

I felt feverish over the weekend, but was determined to go on a trip with my family and two others. It was an annual tradition, started about 5 years ago, a trip to watch an MLB team in another state play America's game. We were all packed in a 15 passenger van with the first seat taken out for storage space. Each row of seats held a different group. The back held the elder girls, all in high school, they conversed and listened to music on a set of portable speakers. The next row had an assortment of junior high girls, laughing and chatting animatedly, they were the energy of the vehicle's atmosphere. Then, there was my row, held by my friend and me, with a father on the end. We were listening to the back and front, amused at the first, and intent on the latter. The front two chairs held my Dad and the other father, discussing current events, scripture, and family.

The game in itself was low scoring, a pitching slugfest with a high strike-out count. Impressive, but not compelling to watch every at bat, as the sides were retired so soon. The joy in the trip was the camaraderie and the food. What food! For our dinner, I had a healthy slab of honeyed meatloaf, with sides of mashed potatoes and mac & cheese. For dessert, I chose a piece of coconut meringue pie. I couldn't devour the entire serving and boxed it up for later.

The following day, we visited an indoor market for tasty meat, fresh baked bread, and tongue tickling pastries. I requested the bread, reasoning that the savory beef jerky that we were after needed something dry, fresh, and spongy as contrast. The desserts were delicate and tasteful, but I wanted something solid and substantial in my lunch.

“Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD." - Deuteronomy 8:1-3

That bread was even better than I first reckoned it. It was seasoned with rosemary, a unique taste of flavored air texture that I had hardly experienced before. And the jerky?
Those strips came tender and stringy in teriyaki, tough and lasting peppered, stiff and blacked barbecue, and melt-in-your-mouth tasty buffalo chicken.

The days were sunny and breezy, the highway home had living landscapes of green stalks and brown trunks woven wonderfully. My friend inquired as to whether I regretted the school I could have gotten finished over the weekend instead.

I smiled and replied. "I will have many such opportunities to study over the the weekend this fall. I will not always have opportunities like this to spend with family and friends for this amount of time. This is an investment - I will look back on this and know that whatever comes, I had this one spot of brightness in this tunnel of school. This is my motivation, I would give up much more for this."