One Ahead of Jonah

Two issues tug at me almost everyday. "Walk standing straight, shoulders back, chest out with your butt inline with my shoulders." The other is to slow my pace when an epiphany sparks. James Joyce, my favorite novelist, introduced me to these vignette-like moments. Most are small: a thrasher in the leaves, a coyote pup romping in the sun, but others seem to accumulate in time. I collided face to face with my most recent, certainly my major epiphany this fall. I don't remember day or time exactly, but I do recall the circumstances.

The unfolding moment (I work hard to stay in the moment and succeed at least in one of the twenty tries) started with my decision to lead the Hunger No More effort in Chalice Christian Church. You remember, I asked persons of our faith community to bring staple foodstuffs to church on Sunday and our children place them in the basket in front of the communion table. My immediate purpose - take the items to the local food pantry.

Coincidentally, Diane, a friend, an associate editor of a local Christian newspaper, asked me to contribute poetry. In our first conversation, I told her about Hunger No More coming to Chalice. Her reporter, Shara, soon called me for information about our churches interest in hunger. After I had spent a good hour discussing the program, she told me of Maria and her five children.

Although I had often assisted working poor in my parish in northern California, I was far removed from the grit of the effort after many years away. I secretly balked at the idea of becoming involved with a no light at the end of the tunnel single Mom and five small children. But I had just filled Shara's notepad with a hunger program's possibilities. Reluctantly, I gathered the collected food, adding bananas, milk and caramels to the larder and called to tell Maria I was coming.