IN MY EARLY TWENTIES, shortly after I was married, a gal named Betty Gaddy left a magnificent imprint on me. She modeled for me how to tune my heart to hear the needs of others and then to respond. She showed up at my door one afternoon with cough medicine and comfort food after hearing that I was home sick with young babies who were also ill. There is something special about being on the receiving end of good, thoughtful food when we have need, isn’t there? We’ve all had something in our lives that has turned us upside down for a day or two, a few weeks, or an entire season. Sickness, sadness, loss, change, tragedy. And sometimes we’re just simply overwhelmed. I’ve walked those roads and been loved on by people who served me and my family with food, some homemade and some take-out. It loved our hearts. We felt cared for. Shared food also can be given to welcome and greet, to say hello and thank-you, and to communicate that someone is on your heart. Here are several menus that I have compiled that are easy to make and give. They travel, they reheat, they comfort, and they warm hearts. Food that gives doesn’t have to be complicated, it only has to be shared.
Hearty Homemade Chicken and Dumplins
Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Pie
Store-bought salad and bread