PICNIC’S
The very first picnic I can remember was when I was in the single digits. We lived in Council Bluffs Iowa. I don’t believe that Larry and Jeri had made it on the scene but Lisle, the eldest was there along with the rest of my siblings and Mom and Dad. The location was somewhere near ‘Big Lake’ but we did not picnic there. I remember going in a car along a dirt road and coming to a clearing with lots of tall green grass. Lots of trees and nobody else was there. Several blankets were spread out and the food was placed on one of them.

All the rest of my remembered picnic’s were in parks with tables, water fountains and lots of green grass to spread out blankets. Jungle gyms and ball fields were there along with sidewalks and other walking paths. Usually our picnic’s were to celebrate Memorial Day or 4th of July.

My first home with Jim had a good size back yard and many times we would host a fish fry and/or 4th of July BBQ’s. Once we even had a ball game using a child’s ball and bat. I thought if I laughed any harder than I did then I would never survive. Great times are mixed up with having family picnics.

I remember reading Ann Lander’s where a woman wrote in complaining about her husband who loved Sunday picnic’s but he always wanted to go to a cemetery. She loved her husband and she loved being with him on a picnic but she thought something was wrong with him because he preferred the cemetery to a park. Ms Lander’s reply was simple and to the point. Obvious to her, this man loved the outdoors and picnic’s but apparently didn’t like crowds or chaos. Enjoy the picnic and his company and when asked to go on a picnic to a park, say yes!

"Jesus said; "They need not go away, you give them something to eat". "They said to him; "We have only five loaves here and two fish". Bring them here to me!: He took the loaves and the fish. He blessed it". Jesus broke the fish and small loaves into pieces and fed the crowd. "And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children"; Matthew 14:13-21. There were twelve baskets left over!

Another time Jesus found himself with a hungry crowd. The crowd wouldn’t leave him long enough to eat. Again Jesus wants to feed them but his disciples said to him; "Where are we to get bread enough in the desert to feed so great a crowd?" Jesus asked them what they had. They said; "Seven loaves and a few small fish." Again Jesus took the loaves and fish and having given thanks, broke them and this time he fed four thousand men, not to mention women and children. Matthew 15:32-38.

After the first picnic with Jesus, you would have thought the disciples would be so excited to see Jesus do it again. You would have thought they would be expecting such a great miracle again. You would have thought they would be running through the crowd to find the fixings and would have brought it to Jesus long before dinner time. Instead Jesus had to ask them; "How many loaves have you?"

I don’t believe we ever ran out of food on a picnic but I also never remember bringing home more than we took. Our picnic staples were and still are fried chicken, potato salad and baked beans. I have often thought about the times when Jesus fed these people. I have often wondered what the people thought about it. Jesus found fish and small loaves of bread to be the staple of the picnic’s he held. I think I could easily enjoy bread and fish if I knew that Jesus would be there sharing my table. How about you? Jane Ann