The Breakfast Club

Over the many years I’ve written this blog, I’ve used this platform to inspire and to engage the heart and soul of each reader. From the feedback I’ve received, I think I’ve done that. In this Holiday, Christmas, Hanukkah season, I think it’s even more important to do that so we don’t lose the focus on just giving and receiving gifts, but the ‘why’ we celebrate these seasons. These seasons, this season, is holy for a reason, no matter your faith (or not) and no matter your religion (or not).

As a kid and well into adult, I would attend Midnight Mass at Holy Angels Church in West Bend, Wisconsin. It was something I enjoyed, even yearned to do. The singing, the candles, the incense. The beauty and the pageantry. It all held, and holds, a special meaning to me. This is Christ’s season, our season, and it is more than just wrapping presents and giving and opening up gifts.

Sometimes, the gifts are so big, they don’t fit under the tree. And the true, real gifts happen throughout the year, not just at Christmas time.

I found one example on TikTok from CBS news ...  

At the crack of dawn in St. Louis, MO, students from Bishop DeBerg High School go to Grandma Peggy’s house for breakfast. They call it, The Breakfast Club. It began when several students went to a diner and Sam Crowe, a sophomore, said (paraphrasing), “You know, my grandmother cooks better than this.”

So the following Wednesday, and virtually every Wednesday since throughout the school year, Sam and his friends, along with many other students, ate breakfast at Grandma Peggy’s house. She invited them in and welcomed them. No race, creed, or color prevented them from partaking. 

Then one day, Peggy’s grandson, Sam, was killed in a hit and run. Sam was beloved. Peggy was heartsick. She didn’t know if The Breakfast Club would continue after Sam’s death. Neither did the kids. Breakfast was the last thing on anyone’s mind.

Yet …

The very next Wednesday, and virtually every Wednesday since in numbers greater than when they first began, students showed up at Grandma Peggy’s house. Healing was served along with breakfast. 

As one boy said, “It’s not about the food. It’s about being together.” Another said, “We benefit from her, and she benefits from us. It’s like we feed off each other.” And still another said, “We’re keeping his memory alive.” 

All of us grieve differently. But those who handle grief best blanket themselves with others, sharing the burden, teaching each other to laugh again, and building tradition.

“We benefit from her, and she benefits from us.”

Isn’t that the truth? When we give freely from the heart, the gift we give- big or small- does as much for the recipient as it does for the giver. The delight in the eyes, the warm feeling in the heart. The goosebumps, the tiny shivers. Both the recipient and the giver know when it isn’t just a formality. We know it because we feel it. 

Just like Grandma Peggy and the kids in The Breakfast Club, they know the gift they are giving and receiving. As one student said, “She’s our grandma now.” 

I have to think that somewhere up above, Sam is smiling down on Grandma Peggy and his friends, proud of what he started, and prouder still, of what it means to everyone. And I think Sam is there with them each Wednesday, always with them, sharing in the laughter, the stories, and, of course, the breakfast served and eaten in love. Something to think about …

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

To My Readers: 

If you like what you’re reading and find a benefit from it, you can check out my other posts at https://www.jrlewisauthor.com under the Inspirational Blog tab.

And if you’re curious, you can check out my nine books on the same site. I’ve won nearly twenty awards, and I write in the thriller-crime-mystery genre, but with a coming-of-age thread in each. 

If you are an author or writer, veteran or beginner, check out my Author’s Blog tab on the same site. If you want to get a hold of me, use the Contact tab. 

I hope you check it out. Again, my writing can be found at https://www.jrlewisauthor.com

I can also be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/storiesbyjrlewis