The Church Ladies are Making Me Fat

My mom had an extended hospital stay when I was young. This is what I remember from that time:

1. Kimi's egg rolls.
2. Chicken noodles courtesy of Ms. Kris.
3. Running to get the neighbor one morning because my brother and sister were about to kill each other on the front porch.

I don't really recall being scared or disappointed in any way by the situation. The manna was delicious and plentiful. Mom made it through, as did my siblings. That's really about it.

I shared this with Mr. 1inamillion when he worried about what his cancer would put the kids through. I am reassured by the hope that when trouble hits them later in life, they too will remember church lady suppers and know that they will be just fine.

The Israelites spent forty years in the desert after leaving Egypt. Without the ability to provide food themselves, they were blessed with bread from heaven, manna. The Lord does not promise life will be easy, but there will be provisions to get us through it. Each day, manna fell from heaven with the morning dew. The flavor of manna has been compared to that of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

When I step out my front door in the morning, I see a lawn in need of mowing, peppered with bicycles, baseball mits and golf toys. There's not a Krispy Kreme in sight, but the manna for the Daniel family is no doubt plentiful. It's found eighteen miles down a few dirt roads and a county highway, in a refridgerator with our name on it at the Mulvane United Methodist church. The manna doesn't show up with the morning dew, it's meals made by church ladies three days a week. It doesn't taste like doughnuts though it almost always includes something chocolate.

Delicious barbeque beef, enchiladas, chicken and rice, or pasta casseroles, most often accompanied by brownies. Occasionally there's chocolate pie and a chocolate cake. Some of the Israelites complained about the constant flavor of manna and were sick of its sweetness. Now I am not grumbling about the flavors. Not at all. Oh, the yummy brownies! I'm whining about my own struggle with gluttony. I haven't met a brownie I didn't like, and I can't pass them by without a bite. Or two. Ok really I totally lose count.

The generosity of our church family has eliminated that struggle of 'what's for dinner?'. They've eased a financial burden and taken away the aromas of cooking that can heighten nausea brought on by chemo. They've lightened my work load, and nothing else. The miracle of their labor is that Mr. 1inamillion has not lost ANY weight in these first three rounds of treatment. That is truly amazing. Unfortunately neither have I. The few pounds I lost at the start of the year are back, despite the running I do with the big dog.

I am referring to the casseroles and sweets as the manna, because it really is from heaven. The Lord has blessed us with people in our lives who wish to help, whose names we may not even know. The gift of food is simply there when I go looking for it. Rarely do I know who has provided it. While I have muttered more than once that the church ladies are making me fat at the sight of more desserts, I am accepting of the treasures and now my own weaknesses. We are so grateful. The kids look forward to the surprise of what's for dinner, Dane is always able to eat a bit and I am happy to worry only about the dishes. The joy, of course, is shared the following morning by Britney. She's the big dog who loves to run and eagerly looks forward to punishing me for my gluttony through the neighborhoods of Douglass.