Yesterday in the assembly I saw my/ soul inside the jar of the one who// pours. “Don’t forget your job,” I/ said. He came with his lighted// face, kissed the full glass, and as/ he handed it to me, it became a// red-gold oven taking me in, a ruby/ mine, a greening garden. Everyone// chooses a suffering that will change/ him or her to a well-baked loaf.// Abu Lahab, biting his hand, chose/ doubt. Abu Huraya, his love for// cats! One searches a confused mind/ for evidence. The other has a// leather sack full of what he needs./ It could be silent now, the// master would tell us some stories they hear in high council.

Rumi

“Everyone chooses a suffering that will change him or her to a well-baked loaf.”

Of course, bread has religious significance within the Christian faith. In John 6:35 Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.” In the Lord’s Prayer Christians say, “Give us this day our daily bread.” For me, Rumi speaks to a broader meaning. He speaks to the idea that suffering is part of life’s sustenance and beauty. Suffering is, in essence, our ruby mine and greening garden. That makes sense to me when I consider my friends who bake bread, some even teaching their children to bake. That makes sense to me when I consider the simple joy and connection that happen when we break bread together. That makes sense that as yeast allows bread to rise, so too is suffering elemental to our rising. That makes sense to me when I consider impermanence, breath, and the falling apart and coming together that characterize life itself.