School pictures, 2017 & 2018
My precious daughter-in-law, Gina Davis Boyd, is finally home from the hospital. Her surgery was Thursday, and originally she was to go home on Sunday. Those extra two days have seemed very long.
The reconstruction surgery last week was the final step after her chemo, double mastectomy, and radiation. The surgery went great, but other side-effects slowed down her release. She had gastrointestinal problems that were finally resolved so that she could come home today.
On the day of the surgery, I took a bag full of food—granola bars, apples, pears, bananas, granola, bottles of water, napkins, no-bake cookies. Shortly after we arrived, a teacher friend of Gina’s came by with a bag of goodies—Cheezits, M & Ms, soft drinks, water.
Then a couple from their church arrived, bringing Kinley and Gina’s stepdad. And food! Carol brought two shopping bags of food, from bottles of tea to bags of blueberries and grapes. She thoughtfully included plates, plastic ware, and napkins.
That seemed like a lot of food if Gina went home Sunday, but staying until Tuesday made that food way more welcome and eaten. Gina’s nausea kept her from eating much, but the rest of us enjoyed it immensely.
This is simply a suggestion for how you can help when someone is having surgery. Having drinks and snacks available to the family is super-helpful, and those Hoosiers had that figured out.
Another tip I can offer is how to be helpful when a family is grieving the death of a loved one. Washing dishes is the very last thing they need to be doing, so taking paper plates, napkins, and other disposables is very welcome. One friend took a large package of bathroom tissue since several visitors were staying at the house. “I figured you’d need extra of this,” she cheerfully offered, and she was right.
Food is always welcome, and many websites make that very convenient to space out the food or take it all at once. TakeThemaMeal.com is excellent. MealTrain.com is also useful for volunteering to take meals over a period of time.
If you’re planning a meal where several people will contribute, PerfectPotluck.com is your answer. You can even include assignments other than food, such as “Background Music” or “Cleanup” for folks to sign up for.
Having internet sites that expedite planning is a great boon to our busy lives. I’m already using Perfect Potluck to plan our Teacher Appreciate Dinner in a couple of months. Everyone can see what others are doing and perhaps be encouraged to join them.
And that’s community at its best. Jump on in!
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Ephesians 5:8-10
