East Granby's Meditate for Meals Happens Saturday Morning

A town-wide Saturday morning meditation on gratitude at will allow residents to give thanks for what they have as well as aid those in need.

Meditate for Meals, led by East Granby resident Josette Lumbruno, is her response to the recent, divisive budget referendum process, a chance to bring townspeople together, focus on positive thoughts and benefit a good cause.

“The purpose for this is to bring the community together and offer gratitude for our family, friends, neighbors and those we have lost along the way,” Lumbruno said of the event. “With everyone’s schedule so busy, we often do not take the time to remember just how grateful we are as a community and individually.”

The meditation process is simple but not easy. Lumbruno, an experienced meditation leader and teacher, said she will guide attendees through the process of sitting, staying still, removing as many thoughts as possible from their minds and trying to simply exist in the moment. Lumbruno will offer a few short readings on the concept of gratitude and meditation-friendly music will likely be a part of the event as well.

“It will be short and sweet,” she said.

Attendees are encouraged to interact and generally be friendly after the meditation is over.

She wanted to stress that, although she does teach meditation, she is not using the event as a chance to promote herself but as a way to give back to the town. She was especially thankful towards the town parks and recreation department for supporting the event and allowing the use of East Granby Farms. Lumbruno is performing the service for free and her goals are to bring town residents together, gather items for the food pantry and encourage positivity and gratitude.

The event is a chance for attendees to “pay it forward,” Lumbruno said, to open their hearts and let love flow.

“I’m itching to do this,” she said.

Lumbruno set a modest goal of a dozen attendees, although based on the buzz from neighbors and other town residents, more may attend. Her daughter, Gravity Goldberg, an East Granby native, is returning to her hometown all the way from New York to support the event.

 People from other towns including Granby have been calling her to ask if they can attend. Her answer was that everyone is welcome at East Granby Farms on Saturday morning.

This is the first Meditation for Meals, but Lumbruno hopes it won’t be the last.

“I want this to be an annual event,” she said.

Meditate for Meals happens Saturday at 8 a.m. at East Granby Farms. Visitors should use the main entrance to the property. Attendees are encouraged to wear comfortable clothes and bring a blanket or chair, as one of the keys to successful meditation is a relaxed attitude. The price of admission is the donation of one non-perishable food item to the East Granby food pantry. Mobile phones should be set to silent or turned off.