Breakfast

Garrett has become very interested in storytelling, especially since Aunt Laura was here, telling her fractured versions of "The Three Little Pigs" and "Goldilocks & The Three Bears". He has become specifically interested in hearing the stories from the Bible. I have to admit that when I recount some of the parts of the Great Story, I feel so connected to the ancient church and even the people of God before the time of Christ, since that is how the scriptures were handed down through the ages: storytelling.

He loves the story of Paul and Silas in prison and always asks for the front part of the story (Paul's [Saul at the time] meeting with Christ on the road to Damascus). Recently I started going through the Gospel of Matthew with him and we started talking about Jesus' baptism and how he went out into the wilderness to be tested. We talked about fasting and what it means (simply in technical terms). He said, "That means no breakfast, lunch or dinner?" We talked about what Jesus might have eaten after the fast was over and I thought I would give Garrett a little linguistics lesson. I told him that the word "breakfast" literally means to break a fast and that after we eat dinner, our body doesn't eat for a long time through the night.

Well I decided to quiz him because he's gotten into the habit of pretending he's listening and right there with you and then you ask him something about it and he just says, "I dunno." So I asked, "What's it called when you don't eat for a long time? Is it called slowing?"

"Nope," Garrett said, "It is fasting." So far, so good.

"And what's it called when you eat again after fasting?"

"Oatmeal."

Lesson over. Can't stop laughing.

So, my faithful reader, never skip your oatmeal. It's the most important "meal" of the day.