Day 20: Sacred Companionship

I have a secret.

If an alien from Mars popped down and observed Cookie Day – she might think Cookie Day is all about making cookies. This is not true. One of the yummy by-products of Cookie Day is dozens and dozens of cookies. We bring them to our NorthStar Christmas Brunch, we share them with our neighbors, we eat them with every holiday meal. (There was even one year, when the activities got so out of hand that I actually served them for dinner!)

But the real reason for Cookie Day is about gift giving (and I am not talking about cookies): the gift of dialogue. Years ago, Jean and I discovered that it was hard to not lose heart and grow weary and faint over the holiday season. Some years, the weight of expectation lay heavy across our maternal shoulders. (Finding the perfect Cabbage Patch Doll is one example.) Other Christmas holidays showed up during times of great suffering and loss, causing the sound of holiday jingles to fray our every last nerve. We learned that taking a day to make cookies was one way we could hit a pause button and remind each other of our sacred obligation to be a blessing to others.

“Dialogue involves shared inquiry designed to increase the awareness and understanding of all parties. In dialogue the intent is exploration, discovery and insight. In dialogue I attempt to share how I experience the world and seek to understand how you do so. In this process each participant touches and is touched by others. This results in each person’s being changed. In dialogue I meet you as a person, not an object.“

Sacred Companions, by David Benner, p.55

Yes, Cookie Day is about baking cookies. But more than anything, it is about sacred companionship. My prayer is that as you hustle about this holiday season, you will find the space in each activity to engage in dialogue. Dialogue even is possible on zoom, FYI.