When I found out I needed surgery, I went into that mode many women I know enter wherein I knew I needed to get my home life together. I needed to clean, organize, and prepare. I needed post surgery undergarments, a clean and rearranged space in which to recover, and the fridge needed to be empty of anything leaning towards yucky. In emptying the fridge I had this one panicked moment of thinking, Oh no. What will I feed my family?? apparently forgetting that Husband did almost all the cooking for the better part of our marriage. 

When I expressed the no food concern to Husband he said, “Oh! I forgot to tell you that beginning tomorrow everyone from my work will be bringing us dinners for the next five days.” Holy cow. What a huge gift this was. Until that moment and the moments to follow, I had no idea how much of my brain was spent each day on the task of choosing, shopping, prepping, cooking, serving, and cleaning up after our large family meal together. Having this take off of my plate (haha! puns) was a huge relief. I didn’t care what the food was or if it was food that I liked. In this situation, I liked everything. Anything that gave Husband more time to be with me or allowed men more sleep was the most perfect dinner ever. 

For the next several days we were blessed with pizzas, soups, and casseroles. Some people bought, some people made, and it was all appreciated more than I will ever be able to tell them. I have not met almost any of these kind and lovely humans, but I will be grateful to them for a kin time to come. And let me tell you something, there are few things in this world more delicious than still warm brownies made by a stranger who cares about you and your family. 

If you know of someone in your neighborhood who is going through a rough time right now, do what you can to get them a warm meal. It is, if you’ll pardon this second pun, nourishment for the soul.