Notes for the Week Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost August 25 2019

Dear friends,

When is a pie not a pie? When it’s a galette! That is, it’s a pie with pastry that is simply folded partially over the pie contents in a rustic, dare I say, somewhat creatively Celtic way. For the sake of all things berry, we’re calling this our Bumbleberry Galette. What, you may ask, exactly is a bumbleberry and how did a pie (or galette) come by that name?

I grew up knowing about and eating Bumbleberry Pie, so naturally have spent the rest of my decades to date, claiming the pie for its English roots. In truth however, Bumbleberry pie is only indirectly English, is that it started out life in Canada. However, no matter what side of the Atlantic it is made, the recipe is pretty much the same, depending on what berries or fruits are on hand. In order to qualify as a Bumbleberry Pie, it must hold at least three kinds of berries and one might leave it at that. But to be a true Bumbleberry, one throws in whatever is left over in season: a bit of apple here, a bit of rhubarb there, the odd blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries. But absolutely no bumbleberries. Why? Because they don’t exist.

Therefore, we promise you there will be no bumbleberries in our Bumbleberry Galettes, which we’ll be serving up at the Celtic Festival. The delicious contents, however, will be comprised of at least three different kinds of berries, along with the requisite bit of this and that in the fruit department. The Celtic Festive Bumbleberry Brigade is prepared to sell you a delicious dish of delightful bumbleberries, or an entire Bumbleberry Galette for yourself to share with others.

And recall, bumble rhymes with humble….which is really what it is. A humble gathering, reflective of God’s genius, gently formed from a variety of different yet harmonious life-giving fruits designed to come together for the benefit of all. Which makes we wonder why more people haven’t heard of Bumbleberry Pie, or humble pie, or even just a little bit of humility here and selflessness there. Perhaps that’s why you don’t see Bumbleberry Pie as much anymore. Maybe people need to worry less about getting more than the biggest slice of the pie in life, and think more about simply finding a good spot, with some good people, with a good view of trees, to enjoy a good piece of Bumbleberry Pie. See you at the Celtic Festival, under the trees, perhaps with a little berry juice on our shirts, just to keep us humble.

We journey together,
Mother Esme+