The Most Delicious Pear I Have Ever Tasted

I have written it down

told the story more times than my fingers can count

recalled with fondness

the memory

of the deliciousness of you

The first year

not knowing what to expect

I remember moving from one experience to the other

just trying to follow the order of things

Ahh, but the second year

I knew what to do

so I could relax

and let myself take it all in

the experience of

Silent Retreat

Not far from home, really

but seemingly, so far away

another world..

of quiet

Save for the thirty minutes daily

that we could visit with one another

our time was spent listening

Listening to lectures

Listening to scriptures

Listening to music

Listening to nature

and the very sound of our breathing

For a couple days..

revelling in the sound of silence

Shhh.....

The very quietness itself

awakened my senses

The sounds in my mind as I thought

about the readings,

listening to what God was saying to me

to Me..

But I remember so vividly

the taste of the food

Prepared by the Carmelites

Soup.. vegetable, brothy, simple

yet a symphony of flavors and textures

Bread.. warm, earthy, speckled with seeds

nurturing, sopping up the broth so as

to not miss a drop

Water..clear, no hint of bleach or chemicals

flavorless? Maybe flavor filled with taste of life

But it was the pear

the single succulent pear

whose taste I best recall!

Fat, green and freckled

not perfect by any means

the skin wielding to the touch

of my fingertip

oh so ready

for that first bite

Juice trickles down my chin

The graininess of the flesh sticks to my teeth

the fragrance, so fresh permeates my nostrils

and the memory of that taste

is pleasantly burned into my mind

Focusing with all my senses

on that one piece of fruit

Taking my time to enjoy the pleasure of each taste

touch, smell, look,

listening to the sound of mmmm

The totally sensual delight

I had never tasted deliciousness like that

in a simple pear

Nor will I ever again.

Thank you, God

for that gift.