Day 10 - Matercleanse - 1st December

It feels decidedly strange waking up knowing that we will be ending our fast today. We had already discussed how we would do it. We would keep going on the orange juice for breakfast, then do some lemonade and finally have some soup for lunch.

By all recommendations the food part of this was somewhat premature, but we thought we were better than all the recommendations.

I was fine this morning. The orange juice tasted great and we drank loads. I took a bottle of lemonade to school with me in the car. But it was finished in the 10 minutes it took to get there. I think I will forever enjoy this drink, like I enjoy meeting with an old friend.

Julie had had enough of the lemonade by now and only drank the juice. We both felt fine and were comfortable with the idea of breaking the fast at lunch. For me I felt like I had quit smoking for 10 days. I felt very pleased with myself and better for having done it. But I also felt something like guilt as you would if you had taken a secret cigarette and ruined your record for quitting.

Lunch finally arrived. Homemade chicken and vegetable soup. And it was delicious. We both had a small bowl with some bread and I had the added luxury of a 2" square of cheese. We both felt we had eaten like kings. And we felt completely satisfied, not bloated just satisfied. The feeling stayed with us for the rest of the day.

At supper time we sat with the boys and had a little vegetarian shepherds pie and salad. Julie couldn't finish her small portion. Perhaps only the second or third time I had ever wittnessed her not finishing a meal. Again it was beautiful to taste and savour. Julie felt that even though she had eaten only a little, it may still have been too much with the lunch we had also had. She felt full for several hours afterwards.

I felt full and replete for the rest of the day and even managed a mince pie at house group tonight. After all Julie had made them!

Well we did it. I don't know and I suppose we never will know, if it has done us any good. We have used the whole thing as a excerise in partnership (we actually each do different things most of the time), we have used the hunger pangs to remind us of who were are as living creatures, to gain a greater appreciation of what we eat and to be thankful to our Lord and Creator for the blessings we are given everyday of or lives.

Give me some more soup, please and roll on the bacon and eggs!