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    Often times with this disease I find myself quietly taking a backseat in
public settings.  Sometimes it's just easier to not explain the consequences
of gluten consumption or the frustration it inflicts on simple pleasures in
life like enjoying a luncheon at a friends house, going to a restaurant or
even partaking in a church brunch.  Sometimes I have to take a step backwards
and realize how long it took me to understand the ramifications of consuming
even micro amounts of gluten and I then  say to myself "How can I expect
someone without the disease to fully understand in a short amount of time
what this means to my health and my life?"

   This week I have had a very moving experience and I would like to share it
with all of you.

    My family had recently been seeking to find a new church here in Las
Vegas.  The second week in January we attended our first service at Grace
Valley.  Afterward, the congregation was invited to a brunch at the home of
the pastor and his family.  Upon arriving I quickly realized there was
nothing I could eat as a Celiac.  I tried to apologize to the very gracious
minister's wife and tell her I didn't mean to be rude and I didn't want to
offend her by not eating the wonderful food she had so generously prepared
for everyone.  I briefly explained Celiac Disease to her.  She listened
intently.

     My family returned to the service the next week.  She spotted me and
quickly told me she had prepared a separate dish specifically for me for the
brunch that day.  I was shocked and so very grateful and happy with this
woman whom I had only met once.  I left there thinking....that was really
nice of her but I surely don't expect her to do that again.

    This past Sunday, as I walked into service the last thing on my mind was
the Celiac postings I had read last week about communion and gluten.  I was
used to just holding the bread in my hand and disposing of it after service
at our last church.   Somewhere in the back of my mind I had stored the
frustrating information I had read about "the essence of Christ being in the
gluten". It was far from my thoughts at that moment as I entered the church,
until the minister's wife greeted me with a big smile and said " The left
side of the church will have rice bread available for communion and the right
side will have regular bread",  I know I looked at her with disbelief.  I
could have cried.  Being new in the church and having not yet been there for
a communion Sunday, I said " Do you always have rice bread available?"  She
laughed and teased me and said "Yes", despite the fact I quickly realized
they never had before.   I looked at her and was totally overwhelmed that
without asking or even mentioning it, she had taken it upon herself to not
only make sure I could take communion but also to acquire a gluten free
recipe for bread and to purchase the ingredients to make the bread from
scratch!

   As I recanted the "essence of Christ was in the gluten" story to
her....she gently said "the essence of Christ is inside us not in gluten" and
she graciously told me there would always be something GF around for me to
eat, whether it be in her home or at communion.

   I was very touched by her "extra" efforts to allow me to take communion.
It gave me a new attitude this week about finding ways to "gently" educate
those around me and to be ever so grateful and thankful for those who take
the time to understand and educate themselves about this disease.

     A special thanks goes out to each of you who care and take the time
everyday to respond to the hundreds of emails and requests for information
about Celiac that are posted on this list.  I believe with people like you
someday Celiac will be a commonly known name that will need no explaination.

Sincerely
A Baker