The Wednesday after Christmas
This past Wednesday four members of my family volunteered to help cook and serve the noon meal for the needy at Appleton's Salvation Army. We have been doing this on the Wednesday after Christmas since 2004, the year my husband died. Following his retirement, he had for sixteen years spent every Wednesday morning on the kitchen crew, donning a cook's apron and cooking and serving everything from chicken dumplings or beef stew to homemade cakes and cookies. Upon his passing, one of my sons-in-law had suggested this event as a memorial in honor of the many years of work he did, and the rest of the family loved the idea. We've been at it ever since.
The first few years we had so many workers (anywhere from ten to fourteen), the kitchen's head cook had half of the group--the big guys--clear out boxes of food and clean the walk-in freezer and refrigerator, tossing out what was spoiled or old and refilling the units as needed. It was a jolly, noisy bunch in those days, with grandchildren still in school or college joining us. They are moving on now into jobs and marriages, so our group is smaller. But the core group was still there, and it was a great feeling joining together again to cut up and toss a huge bin of salad, pour individual salad dressing cups for 125 people, and scoop out bowls of ice cream along with our beloved substitute cook Marian, who was there B.P. (before Pete left) and is always on duty, it seems, this particular week, it being the holiday week between Christmas and New Year's.
I wondered this year if we should cancel out now this annual family tradition, with our group declining in numbers, but the feeling didn't last long. It is a wonderful thing we are doing. It's only once a year. And mostly, I think, we all need to be reminded that we are a richly blessed family, that hardship and hunger are always present in our community, and that we, too, are gaining something. We are being served, just as we are serving.
These people who are less-blessed are God's creatures, too, just as we are. And we who have been given much need this opportunity to share God's love in real and visible ways, at least once a year.
Loving and serving God in our community,
Margaret
The first few years we had so many workers (anywhere from ten to fourteen), the kitchen's head cook had half of the group--the big guys--clear out boxes of food and clean the walk-in freezer and refrigerator, tossing out what was spoiled or old and refilling the units as needed. It was a jolly, noisy bunch in those days, with grandchildren still in school or college joining us. They are moving on now into jobs and marriages, so our group is smaller. But the core group was still there, and it was a great feeling joining together again to cut up and toss a huge bin of salad, pour individual salad dressing cups for 125 people, and scoop out bowls of ice cream along with our beloved substitute cook Marian, who was there B.P. (before Pete left) and is always on duty, it seems, this particular week, it being the holiday week between Christmas and New Year's.
I wondered this year if we should cancel out now this annual family tradition, with our group declining in numbers, but the feeling didn't last long. It is a wonderful thing we are doing. It's only once a year. And mostly, I think, we all need to be reminded that we are a richly blessed family, that hardship and hunger are always present in our community, and that we, too, are gaining something. We are being served, just as we are serving.
These people who are less-blessed are God's creatures, too, just as we are. And we who have been given much need this opportunity to share God's love in real and visible ways, at least once a year.
Loving and serving God in our community,
Margaret
