I love Oero cookies. I love them almost as much as I love plain white rice with a little bit of soy sauce. The only difference being that I can eat a nearly endless amount of Oreo cookies but only about 2 bowls of rice before I’m full.

Having some Oreos is one of the little joys I allow myself, as a practice in generosity towards myself. Being generous is as much a skill as it is a good deed. It takes practice, using it more often will make it easier, and leaving it unused will see it diminish.

One of the best ways I know of to build the skill of generosity is to bring it into my everyday life, especially at home. Hence, the joy of Oreos.

Covid has brought into our lives a new awareness of imbalance and the needs of our vulnerable neighbors. Being able to be safe at home while a service industry employee must risk going in to work day in and day out in order to survive is a very real difference being experienced by thousands of people in Fairfax county. Does this mean that I should feel guilty about the joy I receive from a few Oreos?

There isn’t one right answer. God doesn’t want us to live in fear and heart ache all our lives. We are Easter people, living in the joy of the resurrected Christ all because of God’s will for creation. So too, God wishes us to be generous and knows that we are creatures that have to learn the skills of love that come so naturally to God’s-self. I should be sharing my Oreos.

If I start by sharing Oreos, even at home, I may learn to better share the rest of what I have with the world. May my awareness of my Joy inspire me to act so that others may have the same.

In peace,

Rev. Deacon Chip Russell