The Healing Power of Food
I’ll never forget that cold sunny afternoon in March 2010. As I reached my car after my run at the local rec center, I noticed a message on my cell phone from my husband Steve. My stomach sank. Only an hour earlier he had called me from Keystone, Colorado about to take his first ski run of the day with our 16 year old son Phil.
From the moment I heard Steve’s voice on the message, I knew that it was the sort of phone call every parent dreaded. In a freak accident on that first run, Phil had hit a concrete post. With a head injury, broken ribs and scapula, he was moments away from being transported by ambulance, through a snowstorm, to a Level 1 Trauma center in Denver.
I called my sister, Ann aka “my rock,” and my dear friend Lynn. Within a half hour they arrived; ready to divide up our other two children, figure out where our dog Wally needed to go and send me packing so I could grab the next flight out to Denver. Lynn is a true Texas gem – not only took charge in a sweet southern way, but she also brought over a bottle of wine.
I was scooped up in Denver the following day by another dear family friend, Marion. Her entire family opened up their arms, hearts and home to us for the next 6 days.
After an emotionally draining few days in the ICU Phil was well enough to travel. However, his collapsed lung prevented him from flying so driving him home was our only option. We rented a big van and kitted it out with a TV and DVD player, with lots of pillows to make it comfortable for Phil. Normally we love road trips, but it was a nerve wracking drive for us as worried parents. We had long stretches driving across the Great Plains with no immediate medical facility available. We were relieved to make it back home to Lake Forest.
Then something miraculous happened. Food magically appeared on our doorstep. My dear friend, Melissa, organized food for two weeks and the abundance and care was extraordinary. As I helped Phil adjust to his new life on the couch and organized a home schooling schedule with his high school for the next two months during recovery, deliveries of cookies, chocolate, and soup arrived. Next came the morning when Melissa dropped off a laundry basket filled with strawberries, salad and a delicious chicken pot pie – Lucy (my then 11 year old) squealed with delight. She squealed again two days later when my friend Edie dropped off her own version of Chicken Pot Pie – twice in one week! John popped by with a Kringle and a bottle of red wine, Carol showed up with a huge pot of soup and Janine arrived one day with a delicious enchilada meal complete with Mexican soda.
While I had delivered food and goodies to people in similar circumstances, I had never been on the receiving end. I truly understood the healing powers of food during those first few weeks back home. There was both the physical renewal of good comfort food like the pot pies, and the emotional uplift we felt from being so well cared for through that trying time.
This month Jane spent time combing through articles and recipes to come up with some delicious healing recipes you can make at home. And these recipes all offer some true healing aspect. So they can be a gift renewal for yourself. Enjoy!
Author’s Note: Phil is now 21, still an adventure junkie and is back to snow boarding. If you’re looking for a great book to read over spring break try “Lizzie and Jane” by Katherine Reay. It’s an endearing book about two sisters’ healing journey through food.
Join us Saturday 7th March, from 1-4pm at Andersonville Galleria to taste our chili and other artisanal offerings from the 2nd Floor vendors.
Zen Moment
“If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him… the people who give you their food give you their heart.”
– Cesar Chavez
