empty.

My mom and her sister recently made a trip to Holden Village to visit their cousin and her husband. They had a wonderful time in the mountains just outside of Wenatchee and came home with some very amazing things. One being this bowl my aunt gave to me for my birthday.



I love bowls. (Just like my sweet friend Becky)
I'm always filling bowls with stuff - don't we all??!!
I seem to gravitate towards bowls in some of my favorite shops... looking for bowls with character.
Red bowls, yellow bowls, clear bowls, wooden bowls, small bowls, large bowls.

As I read the piece of paper inside the bowl my aunt gave to me, my outlook on bowls suddenly changed.

It went a little something like this:
"A monastic tradition of many religions is to go begging in the morning with an empty bowl. Whatever will be placed in the bowl, whether it is a little or a lot, will be enough for the day's nourishment. Even the Japanese word for a begging bowl is "oroko"... meaning "Just Enough."
Although we no longer have the discipline of begging as an honorable sign of dependence on God, we can practice being of the same mind as a beggar: spiritually hungry, receptive, grateful.
A young man, much like the one who came to Jesus, came to a wise monk to learn what was necessary to become holy. He had many questions about the right way to do things. The monk simply asked him to sit and pour tea into a cup until told to stop. When he asked why the monk didn't stop him, the monk replied: "Because you are a full cup. Until you experience emptiness, there is no room for God."
Many people come to Holden to be "filled up," yet ironically, going away empty is another way to think of renewal. May this bowl remain empty (no peanuts, no paper clips) as a reminder of need and trust in God who provides for us even beyond our awareness.
Beg daily to be filled with the Breath of God, the Spirit that will nourish, enliven, and direct your personal work."

Pretty sure that this bowl I've added to my "collection" is going to stay empty... as a daily reminder to come to God - empty - ready and waiting to be filled!

Thanks Aunt Loanne - I LOVE my bowl!