SOURCE OF ALL BLESSINGS,
you bless us with kitchen
noises — with the sound of
chopping carrots, the rumbling
from washing pots and pans, the
clinking of silverware, the clang of
glass on glass, the whistling of the
teakettle, and all the homey rattle
and clatter produced by preparing
food and washing dishes. May I
drink deeply from the blessing of
being at home that rings in these
sounds and make all whom I meet
today feel a bit more at home
in the world.
Sense how it feels to honor the sounds of a well-used kitchen. When we tune in to the sounds of the everyday activities that nourish us, we expand our ability to experience life as abundant, which in turn fuels us to nourish the lives of others.
“May this patchwork quilt of blessings help to sharpen your taste for the gift of life in its innumerable facets,” Br. David writes. “May you grow ever more blessed, ever more able to bless.”
Should you be inspired, please leave a reflection below…
Enjoy the full eight-day Summer Blessings II practice series.
I had the honor to live in a well used house, once upon a time a hotel, the kitchen was in use and busy for 135 years and was the heart of this house. I was the 5th generation hostess.
I sometimes could feel and sense the busyness of the turn of the century activity, holding and using a bread bowl, wondering how many had done this very chore, tools and linens quietly hanging, in the old photographs that dotted the walls of the kitchen, groups of women preparing for the new day, all ages and manner of activities, smiling, and determined.
, I loved the early mornings in my country kitchen and was ever so grateful to be there.
Bless the hands that prepared the meals.
Bless the kitchen noises.
The kitchen is such a great place to activate all of your senses, practice gratitude for the amazing food we eat, as well as mindfully meditate (especially when doing the dishes for the umpteenth time that day!!!!)
So many lovely memories of sitting around a kitchen table, chatting and laughing after and during a meal. Definitely the heart of the home!
As I get ready to cook a meal in my kitchen to share with houseless families, I’m mindful of those who don’t wake up to a kitchen or the blessing of nourishing sounds, and send out energy to all those who find themselves in that situation. Deep gratitude to those who make it their work to care for the vulnerable.
Kitchen noises, to me, as a child growing up on the farm are reminiscent of different events depending on the time and season of the year. During school months, they alerted me for the need to start the day by feeding the farm animals, milking the cow, then eating breakfast and getting ready for a long walking journey with friends to school. Though far away, the daily round trip was bearable all due to having time to exchange ideas while enjoying the surroundings consisting of farm land, a levee, a bridge, and an old railroad track, Upon arrival to school, the goal was clear: to learn for the first time the English language: how to read, write cursive, and do math. During the spring and fall, weekends, holidays, and summer months meant starting the day early for different reasons: tilling, planting, hoeing, harvesting fruits and vegetables, and picking cotton. Kitchen noises were a blessing inasmuch as they prompted me to receive many other blessings in return, such as experiencing the brightness and beauty of the dawning of a new day, providing nourishment to the animals, and tilling the soil, both of which alternately provided food and drink on the table for the family and neighbors. As to the school learning, it enriched me by enabling me to eventually learn a second language and ultimately enhanced my ability to read, understand, and appreciate God’s Word! I am indeed grateful for the blessings of kitchen noises, for they are the origin of multiple other blessings for the good of humanity!
What a beautiful reflection on your childhood. Thank you so much for sharing.
Last month, my refrigerator stopped running, and I had to wait 2 weeks for a replacement part. During that time, I disposed of most things due to spoiling; ate out in restaurants, and kept a small ice chest. Of course, I had to get ice every day. A concerned neighbor kept some items in her freezer and refrigerator. When my refrigerator finally got fixed, I listened dearly to the sweetest sound of a cold refrigerator running again. It was music to my ears.
My dear darling husband replied to my sharing today’s blessing with him, with a poem to me. Sharing here…
You are the sounds of love, and care,
and comfort, and food to share,
Your loving presence everywhere.
Ahhh, how wonderful to be reminded of the sacredness of the ordinary!
Rattle and clatter are the wonderful sounds of homemaking in the kitchen. Yet another sound my kitchen makes is silence. In the early hour just before dawn, when I light a candle, brew a coffee, open a window, and settle into the soft quiet before day begins its activity. Then another sound, the light scratch of pen across paper as I sit with words that sometimes come from a place I had not known before. Soon sunlight comes above the horizon, a stir of birdsong, a bark, a glisten of spider web, and the day lies ahead starting in the kitchen and working its way out into the landscape. And always brought back into the kitchen again, a working space, in clatter and quiet, a gathering place. Meals, plans, prayer, conversations shared. Salute to life!
One of my most cherished memories is the smell of my dear mother cooking tomatoes in the fall for winter canning. I can still see her in her apron in the kitchen I grew up. Thank you God for olfactory senses!
In recent years cooking has been a rewarding therapy for me but has become challenging in the past year due to spinal issues. I’m blessed to have a senior feeding site within 1/2 block of my home. I can go there and enjoy a hot meal with other seniors. It’s a way to gather in a community kitchen and it is good for both body and soul.
You know, I have a “retablo” of Saint Martha in my kitchen. She reminds me that all kitchen activities are sacred gestures to bless those who will enjoy the good taste of the food and these activities are work that brings me great happiness. Kitchen noises center me like a prayer and are a connection to God. I am with the Creator in working with my hands.
For me, this blessing has gone beyond ‘kitchen noises’. It has made me be more aware of all sounds(sirens, train whistle, birds chirping, etc.) and is helpful to be in the present moment. How grateful I am for the gift of hearing! Thank-you for this blessing practice.?
I love the kitchen…i love to cook beautiful food and feel nourished…i love to share food with friends and connect over a meal…mealtime was so important in my “growing up” family and it is a joyful time now, to share meals, conversations, friendships, deliciousness of all kinds…