God of the Compost, Part 3

The Miracle of Fermentation

A process, parallel to that of composting, takes place in the production of another near-miraculous substance– one held in much higher regard than compost– wine. While the growing of grapes (and any other fruit for that matter) stands as a worthy story in its own right, the transformation of fresh grape juice into the remarkable liquid sought by both prince and poet is astounding.

Only Celebration

The early morning sun rose over the cemetery, and the long shadows cast by hundreds of gravestones shortened. Though the day was young, sweat already trickled down my forehead. Like a pack-mule, I carried my year-old daughter in a carrier on my back, and the walk to the graveside service was long. A couple of decades had passed since, as a boy, I last attended a funeral, and this was my first since fully arriving at adulthood. Uncertain emotions flooded my soul.

Transfusion

A calloused hand grasped the handle of an earthen pitcher, tilting it. Cool water tumbled out of the spout, falling in a twisting, twining stream, making its way downward, earthward.

Much earlier in the day, the Rabbi sent two of his students ahead of him to prepare the Passover meal. When they inquired how they could know the place in which to make preparations, he responded that–

Dew of Hermon

Inexplicably, a man and a woman find themselves wandering a street in a large city. But for the two, the streets are devoid of all life. No one else walks the sidewalks, no cars patrol the streets, no dogs wander here and there looking for either mates or morsels of food in garbage cans.

Let Every Heart

Having recently been duly filled with the lovely songs and music of Christmas, I couldn't help feeling overwhelmed by the wonder that the Season celebrates– the amazing and inconceivable fact of the entrance of the Lord of All, the Creator of everything that is, into the confines of this lowly and broken universe. And the song that caps it for me