A Little Bit

A Little Bit

            From October first to October sixth, Marshalltown had four visitors from  Santiago de Maria, El Salvador—two women and two men.  These four visitors were from St. Martin de Porres church, sister parish to Marshalltown’s St. Francis of Assisi parish .

            The weather during those six days was cold and rainy—unlike the warmer temps in El Salvador.  We loaned our visitors coats.

            One of the women Isabel was slim, not skinny, but healthy. She wore a coat all the time—whether outside or inside.  One evening at dinner, when Theresa, Marshalltown Community College Spanish instructor, joined us, we were commenting on Isabel’s wearing a coat all the time, even inside.  I said, “Well, look at how thin she is.  She doesn’t have any fat to keep her warm.”

            Theresa translated our conversation to Isabel.  She smiled and said, “I eat everything, but I only take a little bit.”        

            Hm, I’ve heard that before.  After Isabel made this comment, I began to watch her eating style at meals.  She did what she said—took a little bit of everything offered.

            Not only did she take a “little” bit of everything, but she also ate slowly.  The rest of us were long finished before she was (and I’m a fairly slow eater myself, but she out slowed me).

            When she was full, she stopped eating, regardless of how much food remained on her plate.

            As I reflect on Isabel’s eating style, the Spirit reminds me of teachings the Wise One has given me.  God has given us appestats, fuel gauges that tell us when we are empty and when we’re full.  Isabel listened to her gauge.

            Eating too fast causes us to eat more than we need, for it takes a while for our fuel gauge to catch up with our eating speed to let us know when we are full. 

            Finally, First Corinthians, Verse 16, tells us “All things are lawful for [us], but not all things are beneficial” (St. Joseph Ed.).  Hm, dare I add, “too much, even of lawful things, are not beneficial either”?

            Isabel was a living lesson to me on how to eat and enjoy one’s eating and the company with whom I am eating.

                                                                                                                 Sharon Witty