Hospitality: Food For The Soul
A contributor piece for Portlandmoms.com
Hunger is constant. It can be satiated, but without fail, in a few short hours, our stomachs start growling, telling us it is time to eat. Just as our stomachs are hungry for food, our souls are hungry for connection. This past October, after just undergoing major surgery, just two months after unpacking boxes in a new house in a new city, I found myself aware of hunger in its various forms. The hunger of my stomach and my soul was fed in beautiful and surprising ways. Kindness and hospitality knocked on my door and provided just the nourishment my soul needed.
In a world that is hurting and full of so much need, the heaviness of it all can feel overwhelming. When I feel overwhelmed, I often experience paralysis because I don’t know where to start. My new friends and neighbors recently taught me that one small act of kindness can have a lasting impact and create connection. In a moment when I felt alone, I discovered a village of people eager to step in and help. When we connect to each other, we build a bridge that offers a new path forward. Here are five acts of kindness that offered healing to my body and to my soul.
Providing meals
When mom is down for the count, the kitchen experiences a crisis. That is amplified with each additional mouth to feed, so with 6 hungry people gathered around the table at dinnertime, the gift of a meal is appreciated on every level. The school my older three attend for Elementary school signed me up for a meal plan. I had people who didn’t even know me show up at my door to deliver a meal. I felt so loved! That meal train added in with the generosity of friends from graduate school and my existing community provided warm meals on my table for 20 straight days. Being new to our town, this was an unexpected and greatly appreciated gift.
Face to Face Connection
Recovery from surgery isn’t a pretty sight. Showers become optional, and sweats are the clothing of choice. Those factors make it easy to become a hermit. But hermiting has its drawbacks, mainly that when we aren’t talking to people in real life, the voices in our heads get louder. So I am thankful for my crew of friends who knocked on my door, provided me with food and company. It helped break up those long, often lonely days of recovery.
Bring in the Beauty
Of the many times that kind and hospitable people knocked on my door, three of those interactions were with a postman delivering flowers. The timing was impeccable. Just as the previous bouquet was beginning to wilt, a new one arrived. My friends listened to the nudge to send a piece of beauty to brighten my day. It was a constant, visual reminder that others were thinking of me in a season of obscurity and newness.
Send a note
Most delivered dinners came with heating instructions, but it didn’t stop there. Time and again, I opened a sweet note from someone in the community who had willingly cooked a meal for a family they didn’t even know. I loved reading the notes, which were often introductions. I found that many families who brought us food were also relatively new to the area and had been recipients of the hospitality of the community months or years prior. They joined in to bless me the way that someone else had blessed them. The first major event that got me out of the house after my surgery was the night of Halloween. Our family joined many others as we walked the neighborhood surrounding the school. I ran into many of the women who had brought a meal to my door and was thankful for the bits of themselves they had shared in their written welcome.
Child Care Help
With four active children, being bedridden is challenging. I am trying to lie still and not move, and what they need to do is move and get all their energy out. So, when a neighbor offered to keep the kids for a few hours after school, everyone was happy about it. I don’t know a mother who isn’t appreciative of help in wrangling the energy-infused children.
Because of the kindness and hospitality I have been shown by those around me, I am eager to learn how I can do the same for the next person who finds themselves in need. Hospitality is what brings people together. If you are looking to build community, hospitality is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.