During the 2006 Collins family vacation, my friend Paul introduced me to Chimay. You can read about it here. But my post today is not necessarily about beer. Let me explain.
Last weekend, I was invited to share in community. In the midst of the stress, hustle and bustle of Christmas (see earlier posts on this), my friend Brian gave me a wonderful gift. The gift actually had an obvious component and a not-so-obvious component. On Friday night, my family was at Brian’s home, enjoying a visit, when Brian said that he had a gift for me. It was given with no expectation of receiving anything back in return. It was a silver bag that contained a warm bottle of Chimay for me to take home. Not stopping there, Brian went to his fridge and pulled out a cold bottle and asked if I would share it with him. Well, of course I said “yes.”
I was telling my friend Guy about this unexpected, wonderful gift and how it was so enjoyable. Guy, as is typical of him, sees more than most of us. On the Chimay website, the monks speak of how it is their hope that Chimay “gladdens the heart of man.” Then Guy asked, “Do you think it’s just coincidence that from one bottle of Chimay you get 2 full pint glasses of beer? Do you think they intended for that bottle to be shared?”
Beyond the obvious gift of the beer (as good as it is!), was the not-so-obvious gift of sharing life. For a moment, two pints of beer were poured from a single bottle. The bottle was shared. The beer, as intended, gladdened the heart of two men. Not that they were inebriated in any way. But they enjoyed something that was created for them specifically to enjoy. And that enjoyment spilled over into some good conversation, some laughter, and before you knew it, talk of a mission trip to Mexico.
So my Holiday wish for you might be this: that in the midst of what we’ve allowed Christmas to become, that you would find a friend to slow down with and share a moment. A moment to breath deep. To dream. To be real. To be honest. To laugh. To cry if need be. To share life, together.
Those moments are what make us truly blessed.
2 comments:
Ironically, I was introduced to the fellowship building joys of Chimay through a fellow traveler to Naples with the same first name, Mike! Coincidence? Ha! We have often remarked about this two brews, one heart idea, and believe we are on to something...cheers my frozen friend!
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