The Holy Donuts

For years, its been well know that our parish has a group of retired women who call themselves The Holy Donuts.   How this nickname came to be is unknown but the group is proud of their name. They get up early, go to the early bird mass then congregate at the local donut shop for an hour to chat, eat donuts and drink coffee all before 8:00 am. Over time some of the members have passed away but the group continues to keep going. There was one woman who belonged for many years named Tess Aberle and more recently I stopped seeing her there. Tess was our family’s adopted grandma. She would dote on my daughters, give small trinkets out of her pockets during our donut trips,  and always lit up every time she saw my family. With her recent lack in attendance I recognized she might be ill, but her group continued to go.

Upon a recent visit to the donut shop   I picked up a couple dozen for my daughter’s class party. Mixed with emotions that day over some personal changes, I entered the door to a packed storefront filled with customers. As I began my wait in line I noticed a familiar face.

“Julia?” It was a friend of my mom’s I knew from childhood that I often ran into around town. Julia was retired and close to my mom’s age. “What a nice surprise! What brings you here this morning?” I asked.

She turned and pointed to the group of women.

“You’re a Holy Donut?” I asked.

“I’ve heard about them for years, and now its my turn to join them,” Julia replied.

We talked about the group while we waited in line and she filled me in that Tess had gone to assisted living and how the group would often visit her.  We continued to talk about other changes in both of   our lives and I realized  her membership with the Holy Donuts was God’s lesson for me that day.

Donuts are an anomaly. While there is a hole in the center the Baker never discards. Instead he uses the small piece of dough and turn it into something new. And the donut is not lacking the center for its supported with other sugary goodness and added flavors.

While my brain probably got too deep into donut analogies, it made me realize that change in our lives is inevitable. We are born, we grow from  childhood, into adulthood. We don’t all go about life the same way or even seamlessly. Some of us like donuts will have holes in our experiences or even be twisted, while others  will have the fortune to be filled up only to ooze out all the jelly, but God never discards our broken pieces and through it all he is our constant.

See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the wilderness I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers  .Isaiah 43:19

While some changes we accept and others we don’t, each circumstance God will turn those situations into something greater. That which we left behind and that which we are moving toward. If we trust in him he will turn those parts into something special.  While Tess no longer went to the shop, Julia had filled in her space and she supplemented the group, and yet Tess was also cared for and supported  in her new environment. She was not discarded.

God continues to replenish that which he sees is good.

That day after leaving the donut shop, I found comfort in that exchange. I knew that everything would be okay in our past, and in our future. Donuts, donut holes, the jelly filled and even the bear claws.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8