The Blessing of Broccoli

A little angel showed up at my front door the other night. I was sick, so I toyed with the idea of not answering, despite all the lights being on, the music playing and a front window shade up. But how rude is that? So I answered the door, and this girl explained that she is my neighbor and had been out at the farm picking produce all day. Would I like some free corn and broccoli?

Would I ever! I was a bit shocked- someone coming by at 9 p.m. to give me food? I live in a pretty liberal neighborhood in Minneapolis near the University so we have lot of visitors at the door working for socio-economic-political change, and I expected her to want a signature or pledge or something. Besides, it was too late in the evening for the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

She pulled her little wagon up to my door and let me pick out what I wanted- ears of corn and beautiful broccoli and leaves. Then she asked if I would be a drop off spot for her next week- could she leave a box or two of produce at my home to share with other people? Of course! I was still a little sick, and it was so surreal- a neighbor in the big city, wearing overall shorts, with a sunburned nose running around in the dark giving away veggies. I thanked her and put my bounty in the fridge. Then I realized:

This is how we feed the world.

The concept is ridiculously simple. Hello neighbor, I have this excess. Would you like it? Could you use more next week, do you have other people who could benefit? I will share what I have with you.

Amen. It all starts at home and I have the blessing and privilege to see it in the microcosm of my life. What would it be like to apply that to the greater macrocosm of our world?