More Than Food...

My mom passed away 15 years ago, but if I try hard enough I can still remember eating one of her strawberry cakes. She only made her strawberry cake for me on my Birthday. Every once in awhile, when I am not feeling so good, I remember helping Mom make Potato and Onion Soup. This was one of the meals she would fix when we were not feeling well, or when one of her friends were not feeling well.

My wife and I started Seminary in 2001. We were in Kentucky missing many of our friends and family back in Texas. Around Mid-terms my brother sent us a care package. Not knowing what was in the package I left it in our car all day while we were attending classes. That night when we opened up the package we were surprised to see 2 loaves of Mrs. Baird’s bread, cans of Wolf Brand Chili, and several other items we had not found suitable substitutes for in our new Kentucky home. That evening a friend from Texas who was also attending Seminary came over so we could prepare for one of our Mid-Terms. Earl brought over some tuna fish salad he had made earlier that day. That sandwich with Earl’s tuna fish and the bread from my brother that had spent all day in a hot car, is possibly the best meal I have ever eaten.

Food is always around us. We use food to celebrate momentous occasions in our lives (Graduation, Weddings, Birthdays, Anniversaries, etc.), but it also is used to comfort those who grieve. We grab a cup of coffee just to catch up or to talk with a friend when they are having a rough day. We have so many memories tied to food, Dad cooking out on the grill, Mom or Grandma making our favorite dish because we are coming over…

But these memories are usually less about the food, and more about the people we share these moments. I loved my Mom’s strawberry cake, but it is really about her taking the time to bake a cake just for me because she knew how much I enjoyed it. My Mom’s Potato and Onion Soup is probably not much different than anyone else’s, but the memory of her standing over the stove cooking soup for someone who was feeling ill, while she was battling cancer, left an impression on me. That tuna fish sandwich we had is more about sharing a meal and our lives with our friend Earl and being reminded that there were people back home in Texas that loved us and missed us.

For the past few months my family has gotten together on a weekly basis with another family to have Breakfast for Dinner. Our kids love this and love playing with their friends. My wife and I enjoy it because it is a time to sit and visit, to laugh, and sometimes gripe and complain. It is a time where we share who we are with others. How do you share your life with others? Is it inviting friends, family, or neighbors over for a meal? Or is it when you stop by to visit someone you know has been struggling with their health or struggling with circumstances they find themselves in? You never know, you might be the answer to someone’s prayer when you stop to share a meal, a cup of coffee… your life with someone else.