Meals and Memories…

       Anyone who knows me relatively well would say that cooking for people could very well be my “love language.” I LOVE that aspect of hospitality and I always have. I know there are many ways you can serve and bless someone but for me, preparing a meal for loved ones is at the top of my list. (In fact my husband will be the first to tell you that he weighed a bit less when we first met than he does now–what can I say? He was a bachelor eating bowls of cold cereal and calling it a proper meal! Ha!)

     Tonight I have the rare opportunity to prepare a meal for some long-time close friends of ours who enjoy cooking (and eating!) as much as we do and I am a mix of ecstatic with a little bit of nostalgia mixed in. You see, this girl and I? We’ve shared many meals over many years. Many. And as I sit here, I cannot help but remember so many of them.

Some of my very best memories in college are of sitting with this girl… eating and chatting. It’s a wonder we didn’t gain more weight!

We discussed the drama of life with bagels and coffee and leather couches.

We braved the cold of the snow like true Florida girls with bowls of chili and playing cards and lots of laughing.

 We shared tea and scones at the super girly place down the street. In fact, we shared a luncheon there just hours before she wed her great husband.

We shared early Thanksgiving dinners for several  years in a row with this couple and those meals remain some of my favorites.

She brought me her famous chicken and rice when my daughter was born and I instantly felt more like myself again.

And just 6 short months ago, we shared several of our “last meals” (for awhile) together when we prepared to move here.

Days later, they helped us move here and we drank one last cup of coffee together while organizing our new kitchen.

And now, they are embarking on their own BIG journey. A new exciting adventure awaits them as they have faithfully waited for the Lord’s timing and direction. He is taking them somewhere they have never been before for at least a season of life.

And our home happens to be a small stop off the interstate. And I couldn’t be happier to be able to fix them a home cooked meal. I may have had the meal planned out for over a week–but to tell the truth, we would enjoy PB&J sandwiches just as much– as long as we could share them together.