day twenty-eight: sweet

I haven't been very sweet lately. I've snapped at Suzy, avoided people, and haven't been very kind in general. I get this way when I get stressed, busy, tired, etc. I get so focused on getting everything done - including our projects for this blog - that I forget to relax...and I forget to be kind to those I care about.

Today was a good reminder. I took some sugar-free candy to homebound church members in nursing homes. I went to see Frances, who is a lively lady recovering from a fall and extended illness; Jody, who can barely speak apart from a few grunts or moans; Mary, who can't hear it thunder; Florence, who often doesn't know where she is; Charles, who thinks he is a college administrator who travels the country; Ethel, a precious little old lady who is always so kind and thankful; and Diane, who usually doesn't know who I am.

In each case, I offered some sweet treats: chocolate, hard candies, butterscotch. But nobody wanted any! At best, I got a disinterested shrug and an acquiescent, "OK. I'll take some." None of them really cared about the candy.

What they did care about was the visit. Each of them was so pleased to have a visitor, and to spend just a few moments chatting. I was thinking that the candy would be a good way to show them I cared. But just showing up meant more to them than any gift I could have brought. And they all kept saying something along the lines of, "You are so sweet to come."

I guess today's culinary care didn't depend as much on the "culinary" part, as long as the "caring" was there. And even though I wasn't feeling all that sweet, it's hard not to be with these senior adults.

day five: new parents

I’m tired. I’ve haven’t been sleeping well the past few nights, staying up too late and getting up too early, and all I want to do right now is lay down. But I'd bet that I’m not nearly as tired as the new parents we got to see tonight.

Matt and Brittney had their baby girl not even two weeks ago. And if I remember correctly, it would be right around this time that they're ready to crash. The midnight feedings, 3 a.m. diaper changes, and hyper-vigilance of parenthood are probably taking their toll. So we signed up on their meal calendar to take them dinner tonight (CareCalendar is another program you can use).

Suzy holding the new little girl

Our baby boy with his future girlfriend

One part of our Lenten experiment is to make sure everything is as homemade as possible.  Whether cookies or cakes or casseroles, we are trying to really think about what people need and then spend the time to make those things.  Instead of dropping by the store last-minute to pick up a random meal (which is our usual way of doing it), we are trying to be intentional about our preparation and action, forcing ourselves to think through how we show our care for others.

Tonight, Suzy made Chicken Diabolo (a recurring star at her family events) along with green beans, cole slaw and rolls. Here's the recipe for the casserole, in case you want to try it:

1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled
1 box Uncle Ben's wild rice
1 large can sliced mushrooms, drained
2 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
1/2 C. chicken broth
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened 

Topping:
1/2 C. melted butter
1 C. brown sugar 

Cook rice according to box instructions. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, mustard, mushrooms, parsley, soup, and broth. Add chicken and rice. Layer mixture into a 9"x13" baking pan (sprayed with Pam). Mix together topping ingredients, and sprinkle on top of chicken rice mixture. Bake for 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees.

Between getting the groceries we need for this 40 day adventure, making meals, baking sweets, spending time serving or volunteering, and God knows what else we'll end up doing, we're beginning to realize how busy and tired we will be. But I also know that it will be a good kind of tired: when you know you've done something that matters, that has made a difference, that has meant something to someone...at least, that's my hope.

I've been trying to figure out how to end this post for the last 20 minutes. I wanted to wrap it up with some nice, neat, profound insight. But I'm tired. So...