Gluten..What's that?

SO…Gluten…What’s that!? The new fad diet that everyone is after? Actually, it is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley.  Those of us with Celiac are all too familiar with Gluten because of how sick we feel after being in direct contact with it. Trust me, no one WANTS to miss out on going out to eat with family and friends.  No one WANTS to bring their own meals to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinner.  No one WANTS to prepare the entire Christmas Eve meal for a large extended family all by themselves.  I would MUCH rather be spending time with those people that I love instead of preparing the meal myself to make sure I don’t get sick.
Celiac has also transferred into practicing my faith.  You know that feeling after you receive Communion??  That peaceful like “God is really with you feeling”.  I really miss that…I still walk up with everyone else, but instead of receiving the Body & Blood of Christ, I receive a blessing.  While I am grateful for the blessing, I do miss receiving Communion like I used to…before being diagnosed with Celiac 8 years ago.  I have a strong bond with God and am assured by Him that my choice to NOT take Communion is okay.  I did research about a year ago….is there a Gluten-free host I can take? No, if the host is made Gluten-free, it is not a true host.  Can’t I drink the precious blood?  No, cross contamination makes me even more sick than eating Gluten directly.  It’s not the immediate effects that prevent me from receiving Communion, it’s the long term effects that weaken and prevent my body from absorbing nutrients leading eventually to malnutrition. God has a lot of work for me to do here on Earth before I go home, so I choose to cross my arms over my chest and receive a blessing instead of Communion.  If you see me do this; please just say a prayer that we find a cure one day so that we may join our brothers and sisters once again in receiving Holy Communion.  God Bless.