The Iona Abbey Kitchen Cook and Deputy Cook searching in the freezer. Credit: C.Penney
‘Peas be with you.’
We laugh and we laugh and we laugh – regularly each week; I hope that has always been the case for the Iona Abbey resident community. As we all know, laughter is a vital contributor to our wellbeing, not least when the last few weeks have been unsettling.
Since the beginning of December, we have said farewell to 6 members of our staff team. Whilst we know that’s part of life here, but it doesn’t make it any easier when it happens. We will miss them and are so grateful for all their time, friendship and gifts. But our faces lit up with smiles as we welcomed two new staff members, and two who have changed roles – so our team is evolving once more.
In addition to these personal and local moments, that we all have, we are living in the midst of a scarily changing world. Full of violence, stupidity and lack of trustworthy leadership. It’s easy to spiral down into overwhelm, grief and rage. Those emotions and responses are not wrong, of course, but it’s how we use them for good that makes the difference. Hope. Hope. Hope. Rooted in Hope – Lived in Community. Never more needed than now. In addition to intentionally looking and listening for positive news, laughter and fun are essential.
Cachinnation
In one of our team building sessions last week, we spent time thinking about the bonding impact laughter has for us. This is often strengthened by our different senses of humour – with guests, with the wider world, within the team. Examples included:
- the nativity film that Anja and Declan sent to the kitchen volunteers;
- Sarah singing ‘O where, O where has your little dog gone’ in Latin to a shop volunteer (who was a Latin teacher);
- celebrating World Pulses Day;
- the photo of the trinity of bathroom cleaners (on the website publicising Work Week);
- the sign that hung on one of the wooden dressers ‘Laugh every day’ but mysteriously disappeared (did someone really disagree?).
Once more, the Common Room was filled with cachinnation (you can look it up here).
The joy of laughter
The theme for our weekly Agape Service is sometimes ‘laughter’. Once when I was leading, after saying ‘Welcome! Fáilte!’ I explained that Fáilte means welcome in garlic. It was completely unintentional but how good it is, how wonderful to laugh together, even (especially?) in church!
The Bible is sorely lacking in laughter (most mentions are about mocking or being mocked) yet I can’t believe Jesus didn’t laugh, just as Sarah did. ‘God has made laughter for me’ (Genesis 21:6) – indeed! Let us continue to acknowledge and enjoy that precious gift even, especially, in these challenging times…
…as has Joy Mead in her Litany of Laughter, downloadable here.
Before I finish, I should explain the photo above. At the end of last season, I walked past Anja and Declan searching diligently in one of the freezers.
What on earth were they looking for? Did they find it?
Yes they did. See the photo below.
There it is in its perfect minuteness.
Peas be with you!
The Iona Abbey Cookbook
Have you got your copy?
This full colour cookbook from Iona Abbey Kitchen includes (often with vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free alternatives) soups, salads, numerous vegetarian main courses, fish and seafood, meat, sandwich spreads, bread, sweet treats, drinks and – as many Abbey guests will affirm – the best porridge ever.
USA North East