Weekly Newsletter: Life Ingredients

      Some dishes contain certain ingredients that, when eaten alone, would not be very delectable. If we made them the focus of the dish without other ingredients, they might also prove to be unpalatable. But, when we use a little bit of this, a little of that, and perhaps a lot of something else, very often the whole becomes complete and delectable because of the combination of all the ingredients involved.
      Sometimes we meet people we don’t like. As hard as we may try to be spiritual and accepting of all beings, we still run across individuals who, if we allow them to get close enough, rub us the wrong way. Our tendency is to treat these people like ingredients we don’t like and we try to place them on a shelf, far out of sight. We wouldn’t think of including them when we make a dish of friends. At times, however, we find these unwanted souls—the ones we thought we hid away—creeping back into our lives, wanting to be involved with us.
      It helps to remember that, yes, if we give them too much time in our lives, they can overpower the dish, and instead of creating something delicious, it may turn out to be sour and bitter. But, if taken in moderation, their presence can add flavor to our lives and actually enrich them. There is a reason for the presence of what appears to be the sour and the bitter.