The Eucharist and an Epiphany

Origin of EUCHARIST: Middle English eukarist, from Anglo-French eukariste, from Late Latin eucharistia, from Greek, Eucharist, gratitude, from eucharistos grateful, from eu- + charizesthai to show favor, from charis favor, grace, gratitude; akin to Greek chairein to rejoice — more at yearn yearn:verb \ˈyərn\intransitive verb - 1: to long persistently, wistfully, or sadly <yearns to make a difference>2: to feel tenderness or compassion 

A dear friend recently gave me a copy of the book A Thousand Gifts . At first the words all ran together like the definition above. I had to slow down. Then I got to the part where the author talks about her meditations around the word eucharist. It made me slow down some more. A life of gratitude, grace, joy. Do I live that way? Then I got to the word epiphany. That's when I stopped reading. Time to look that one up. I had an idea about the word. I have to know why eucharist and epiphany are jumping up and down in front of me for attention.

epiphany -  a (1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure;b : a revealing scene or moment;

 Ahhhhh! The author of the book has been diagnosed with cancer and is examining her life. I am only on chapter 3, so I'm wondering if she is having an epiphany concerning a lifestyle of the eucharist. I just had a biopsy of a couple of lymph nodes in my neck and I am having to think more deeply about what I believe and why. Who or what do I celebrate? I don't think I have cancer. I have been sick and unable to work for over a year. So what is God doing, and what does He want me to do about it? There are many other questions. So while the details and specifics are a bit different, is this eucharist my epiphany? Decisions to make and act on.

I am scared. There I said it. I am scared of the unknown. Fear seeps through my heart like a polluted brook. I need God to dip the hyssop in and make the water run clean again. The eucharist is the hyssop, the expression of joy and thanksgiving that cleanses the soul of corrupt and twisted thoughts of fear. This morning's eucharist is my epiphany. May it be so daily.