Last week, the Kingfisher Lions Club fed the local football team. Pork butt was cooked, and potatoes and green beans with rolls were served. Desserts of all kinds were spread out. Watching the young people fill up their plates as high as they could brought memories flooding back to me.
I grew up in a home where my parents believed everyone who came through their door needed to eat. Most of the time, people didn’t even get settled in their chairs before Daddy would ask, “Are you hungry?” He’d go on, saying, “Jeannie, get them some of whatever you have on the stove.”
When my brother and I were in college and Mom knew we were bringing friends home, no matter the time of day, something was always in the crockpot. The smell greeted us and led us straight to the kitchen!
One of my favorite memories of my parents serving young people was when my cousin’s traveling softball team played in a tournament in Enid. The girls had traveled from the Oklahoma-Texas line. Knowing they had a long drive ahead, my parents invited the team for a fish fry in Hennessey before the journey home. Mom spread quilts all over the living room floor. Fish was fried with all the fixings. I can still see the girls gathered on the floor, the black shadows of exhaustion under their eyes. They looked tough and intimidating, but the best compliment to Mom came when one of the players turned up the pot of homemade mac and cheese, scraping every bit of cheesy goodness! The smile on my mother’s face confirmed how happy her heart was. She knew the girls had a long drive ahead, but she also knew their tummies would be full.
Mom was known to deliver chicken and noodles to people she knew were under the weather. I always told her she started Meals on Wheels. She would cook lunch and make enough for the elderly couple who lived down the street. I was given the task of walking lunch to them. Their son lived out of state and often expressed his appreciation, telling His Mom That she kept them from having to go to the nursing home.
Sometimes we all need to be fed, whatever the reason. And sometimes, the people doing the feeding are the ones who get the real nourishment—in their hearts. Pile those plates high and share the smiles!
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