Today I noticed that Mr. Squirrel is back stealing the birdseed from the birds. During the winter, while the squirrel was hibernating, the small birds were free to eat the birdseed when they wanted, as long as I placed it outside. But with spring Mr. Squirrel is back stealing their food. The squirrel, with no hair or feathers, keeps warm in the winter by sleeping in its nest and using the fat of its body to survive. He must wake up hungry so the fallen birdseed must be one of his first stops. Food is a priority for all of us animals, from the lowly worm to the mighty humans.

In many ways my day was centered on food. This morning I went to pick up the Share food. Share is a co-op that provides quality food at a reduced price to all who belong. We recommend it to the low-income people we serve in St. Vincent De Paul, and we use it ourselves. Through ordering together all over the Midwest we can get about $30-$40 worth of food for $18. During the day I planted more seeds in the sunroom, tomatoes, squash, cucumber and hot peppers. This is food to be. For dinner tonight I prepared a healthy dinner for ourselves and our guest, Earnest, of cauliflower, lemon chicken and hash-mash potatoes. Like the Squirrel we are always back for more food. Since food is such a focus of life I can understand why fasting from food is such a powerful discipline in life. Without some abstinence from food we would not appreciate it as much, and be like the squirrel always stealing more of food from others.

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