When is the Cornucopia Too Full?

I've been working some pretty taxing hours at Central Market this week. Our store, catering to gourmet and specialty foods and such, makes about 40% of it's total annual revenue in November and December. For the past 6 weeks our bulk department has been stocking up on holiday essentials -- particularly walnuts, pecans, cranberries and cinnamon. Though it seems impossible to me, we've actually run out of some of these items this week! Even worse, the H.E.B. warehouse ran out of containers and lids! If you want to get a sense of what hell could be like, stand in front of hundreds of crotchety patrons for hours and say repeatedly "no ma'am, we don't have any lids" or "I'm afraid we're all out of pecan pieces, sir."

The notion that these items may not have an infinite supply causes most consumers to be utterly dumbstruck. "HOW can you be out of pecans right before Thanksgiving?"

My favorite retort so far was "well, somebody really f***ed up majorly, didn't they?"

The answer I wanted to give was "you mean our store for running out or you for waiting until the last minute to do your holiday shopping, you gratitude-lacker." Instead, I walked away with a forced grin on my face.

I don't have a hugely drawn out point here. Only that perhaps our culture at large has no conscious need of God partly because it has no conscious concept of finitude. When there is no allowance for the limits of consumption, there can be no appreciation for the One who provides manna and promises "My grace is sufficient for you."

Well, I'm off to work the extended holiday hours closing shift one more time. Oh Lord, grant me a spirit of eucharist and transfer it to every disappointed customer I gaze upon today.