The Parable of the Banana Bread

The Parable of the Banana Bread by Patty Buechler

A parable is a short story that is used to teach a lesson and open our eyes to deeper insights. Modern day parables have this same foundational idea. They are stories with meaning that are easy to understand.

For the past 30 years we have been family campers at Outlaw Ranch family camp each summer. It’s our home sweet home away from home. At family camp each year we slow down and experience the gifts of each day with family and friends who have become family. Meaningful moments and traditions happen in this place.

When Matt, the Director of Outlaw Ranch, called me and asked if I would be interested in helping the kitchen staff this summer I said, “Yes”. I immediately packed my bags in preparation to head off to camp. I have always been an early packer.

At our training meeting, Matt talked about the importance of the dining hall. He said, “It is a critical point of the camp experience. Our families need to be cared for, listened to and fed.” Food and relationships around the table are so important. Food feels like home.

When I arrived, I was asked to help with the baking. This is a high calling. You see, I have always appreciated and watched with admiration at the bakers at camp through the years. I wondered if I was qualified for such a prestigious role.

As a baker in training, I learned the tools of the trade, the importance of safety precautions in the kitchen, and the whereabouts of recipes and supplies. I love the baking corner with the big bins of flour, sugar, oats, and more importantly, the massive mixer. After a quick lesson in how that big machine operates, the baking corner was officially my new workspace.

At our meeting around the table, I was assigned the task of making banana bread. I can bake pies, cookies and I have mastered the art of Gram’s Kringles. However, in all my years I have never made a successful loaf of banana bread. Nick, my son-inlaw, is the Master of the banana bread in our family. My attempts always sink in the middle and end up with a terrible texture. I typically blame humidity and keep a safe distance from baking banana bread. Without the excuse of humidity in the beautiful Black Hills and since I tell my kids, “Confidence is Key”, I fearlessly said yes to the banana bread challenge.

I went to my station, gathered the ingredients, and placed them in order in the giant machine that so many loaves of bread have been made through the years. This all made me think about the wonderful saying on the wall in the dining hall, ‘Be gentle when you touch bread’. I never quite understood the phrase until I realized the deep-rooted connection between bread and community. You see, bread is so much more than a simple loaf. It’s something to be treasured and it’s something to be gentle with.

As the banana bread was baking, the aroma drew in a crowd. That familiar banana bread smell reminded people of home, their memories, and of camp. For me it did all of those things and it also reminded me to go see if my loaves sunk in the middle.

Outlaw Ranch is special for many reasons but that day I added my first successful banana bread to that list.

As I think about Outlaw and banana bread this is what I know for sure. Outlaw is bigger than all of us. What we bring and do is so important. The work we do here is life changing and has a bigger purpose. Families come here for renewed strength and rest. They come here to recharge and replenish.

In the kitchen, we are tasked with feeding families. However, it’s more than just food. People are coming from a pandemic where they have experienced pain, crisis, loss, isolation, and fear. Food is not only protection and regulation for us all, but also connection and community. The dining room is always welcoming and truly is the heart of camp. After all, most of camp happens around those beloved dinner tables.

When I was teaching, I always spoke about the importance of the culture for learning and relationships in the classroom. The same holds true in the camp dining room. This year we have a huge role to play in moving forward as we look at the past year in the rear view mirror. We get to be the light. We get to be the difference makers. One loaf of banana bread at a time.

Patty aka. Mamma B. is pictured here, third from the left with her family at their beloved Outlaw Ranch.