Food for thought

You may think that food is such a little thing in a persons life.

I mean, we all eat, right?

Often without thought. 

We make lists, we shop, we buy, we organize, we cook, we serve.

Breakfast. Lunch.  Dinner.

Day after day.  Week after week.

A few weeks before Kyle's diagnosis, I happened to be chatting online with friends (when you grow up all over the USA, you have friends from all over and online is a good place to connect.)

They were talking about some hard times and lack of neighborhood response.  I mentioned (oh so ironically) that if you ever get cancer  (or go through a divorce, or a job loss, or whatever) that my neighborhood is THE place to be.

They don't just step up here.

They step WAY up.

Like over the top (in a good way) UP!

We have lived through some hard times here and boy oh boy did we find out just how "UP" this neighborhood goes.

We feel so blessed to live in a place that really goes out of the way to help those in need around them.

They show me daily what the true meaning of "LOVE" is.

When they heard about Kyle, food and dinners started magically appearing at our doorstep.

Day after day.

Meal after meal.

One text, one email and two weeks worth of food started arriving.

You may think that dinners are a little thing.

But I can assure you that they are not.

I sometimes find myself standing in front of the refrigerator staring at it, and all the food inside, and it's like my brain has somehow forgotten HOW to gather the ingredients and turn them into something to eat.

I actually love to cook, and bake and now for some reason I can't seem to put together a bowl of cereal.

With everything else going on, it feels overwhelming to think of creating a meal.

My brain remembers how, but my hands are seemingly not willing to do the necessary work.

The food that comes in has been wonderful.  It is warm and fills our bodies, and our souls.

When we've had a hard, or long day--someone shows up with something to eat.

It takes one small burden off of my shoulders and assures me that my husband and children are eating.

The food is delivered with hugs and kind words and love and concern.  It's really so much more than a "meal" for us.

In addition to the food, all these small acts of service and love towards our family fill us up.

They give us energy to face a new day.

Sometimes people just show up with something out of the blue and say "Stick this in your freezer for a day you need it."

I have used every one of those meals so far.

What I am trying to say is "THANK YOU!"

Thank you to all of those people who have fed my family with both

good things to eat, and kind words and thoughts.

It is something I feel like I can never repay.

And probably I cannot.

But just know when you are bringing us a dinner, it is really so much more than that.

You're bringing us a little bit of help in a very hard time.

You're bringing us proof that you love us and care.

You're making sure that our basic needs are met.

That's what I've got for today....

Food, think about it.