Just for Joy
As I’ve begun reflecting on this year, wading through the challenges we’ve all faced I was reminded of the incredible things that I learned and the good that came out of it. These truths I will treasure.
Adversity has this way of squeezing out of us a beauty and a creativity. We all carry in us the ability to choose how we respond to crisis, I have seen people rise to the occasion and harness it for something good.
From the beginning, my heart has been that The Table would never be simply a source of food, but a place that fuels connection and fosters community. During the last 10 months The Table has been on the receiving end of this abundance. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our community. We received encouragement by the way you would support us by coming multiple times a week, purchasing family meals not just your family but other families in need, the generous way you tipped our staff, the notes of kindness and your encouragement that gave us the courage to keep our doors open. It fostered hope and we all experienced the fruit of a community coming together.
I believe that the generosity we sow in these moments will not only benefit the survival of a small business like ours, but will spur momentum for Asheboro. As I was pondering the outpouring of our community support I felt a desire to create a program that we as the Table family could do to give back. My son shared with me a beautiful passage from a poem written by the Russian poet Osip Emilevich Mandelstam. Mandelstam was no stranger to dark nights of the soul, his poems were offerings of light in dark places. The language in this poem expressed my heart in this season and gave a name to something that I wanted to do - create a program out of our adversity that will fuel something new and good.
For the poem reads…(my thoughts in italics):
“Just for joy,”
- for no other reason; no strings attached
“take from my palms”
- a beautiful illustration of extending a hand to give and receive
“A little sun, a little honey,”
- the healing properties of this gift gives hope and healing- both the physical and emotional
Just for Joy is a community outreach initiative born from the desire to excel in the grace of giving and unite the people and organizations who are doing good in the city of Asheboro. We recognize that this city is made up of generous individuals and businesses who look outward and extend love. Here at The Table, we desire to join in the generosity and give back. This may look like extending our table to help feed those in need, provide clothing and shelter, create opportunities for our youth, support emerging entrepreneurs and startup businesses, and help artists develop and grow in all corners of our community.
The Table will give a percentage of our net monthly sales to organizations that are close to our hearts and this mission. If you know of an individual or an organization that would benefit from the Just for Joy program, please tell us more on our homepage submission form.
To track your giving and learn more about our monthly recipients, sign up for our monthly journal at www.thetablefarmbakery.com.
Join us as we help our community grow in unity, peace and prosperity.
