The old joke is that some people love cake so much it was among the reasons they get married. Regardless of how you feel about cake, there is a spirituality of cake that many times is overlooked.
If you see a pie or a plate of cookies you don't usually think there must be a celebratory reason for their presence. But cake is different. If you see a cake and don't know why it is there, you will wonder if you missed an memo or perhaps wonder if you are about to be the victim of a surprise party. Because cake = party.
We seem to know that cake always points to something else every time we see a cake, but we quickly forget this fact when the cake is cut and served. Many times, for good reasons, we pass on cake. We just ate, we are watching our calories, we have a food allergy, we are not big on chocolate or fondant. For one reason or another, we pass on the cake.
Then it happens: the celebration which the cake was pointing us toward, is now split. There are those who are participating and sharing in the celebration and then there are others who are, in some small way, not.
The spirituality of cake is one of connection. It is one of being a part of the whole and sharing in the goodness of the moment. It is a physical gift, a metaphor for life's sweetness, an extension of relationships.
So regardless of how you feel about cake. Take the cake. You don't have to eat the whole thing. Take the cake, because what they are handing you is more than cake. Take the cake and be a full participant in the moment that is truly a gift.