"It is Finished"

Hello Friends:
"It Is Finished"

Tomorrow is Good Friday. Chef Mike is off so there will be no lunch tomorrow. Lunch resumes Friday, Apri1 13th.

Since ya' all are a hungry bunch, I thought it proper to offer you whatever nourishment you might squeeze out of my inane ramblings, even if it's just a small morsel of food-for-thought on this occasion. So I am intruding in Chef Mike's kitchen and cookin' up somethin' for you --- I hope you like it. Since I'm not a master chef, I'm preparing for you a metaphorical stew made up of ingredients sent to me by one known for double-speak, a lawyer (but then I repeat myself) ---- and you should consume it twice in order to get its full caloric benefit:

Only great minds can read this ..... fi yuo cna raed tllis, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. I cdnoult blveiee tabt I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd wabt I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the human mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the Itteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tiling is taht the frsit and lsat Itteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotI mses and you can sitU raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istIef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yeah and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Pretty tasty, huh? And quite nourishing in itself, particularly if you enjoy metaphorical cuisine. The secret ingredient in this recipe, at least for thought-food, is that each "word" must begin and end with its correct letter, with little regard to the arrangement of the bulk of the ingredients --- a pinch here, a dash there, a dollop more, a soupcon for you Francophiles, and it all comes out just right. Stewed correctly, it offers high calories of mind-food (but remember, unless you squeeze some metaphorical ketchup in it, it will remain tasteless mystery-meat and not very appetizing).

I inquired with the Master Chef of all chefs why this recipe worked, seeing that aside from the first and last letter all else seemed random, confused, mysterious, confounded, chaotic, whimsical--- sort of like human life, if you will. As with most replies by the Master Chef, there is mostly a silence which provokes a great deal of thought and wonder. And I think I now know why this recipe works --- the Master Chef is not nearly as concerned about the "ingredients in the middle" as He is that the "word" begin and end with the correct letters. So metaphorically, and this may be a long reach, our "word" at birth began with the correct letter, and some of our "words" are very long now and with admixtures of strange ingredients. Since I am writing and you are reading, the last letter of our "word," whether long or short, has not been finally inserted. Looking at it from a distance though gives us pretty much a clue of what it might say or mean; and we still have within our control the opportunity to fill in that last letter to complete our "word .... " I hope I didn't overstep my boundaries!

So while I'm intruding into Someone else's kitchen, let me add: "It is finished" ---- the Bible records that these are the last words that Jesus spoke on earth .... Words of victory to all who can hear and believe in them. These words, when applied to the ingredients of our "word," complete right now and forever that last letter, and makes our recipe come out perfect in the end. This is what Easter is all about to me A "Finished Word!"
Well, you'll have to make your own dessert, but I am pretty sure that the time you spend in your "kitchen" with family and friends will result in a very perfect conclusion to this Easter experience.


Bud
4/5/2007