Be Prepared

Sometimes loving others in their time of need is difficult for the giver. When our family was young, money seemed mostly scarce. Our budget was very tight. Having grown up in a family of 8, I learned to make a meal out of what we had.

This life skill, borne of necessity, has served me well. In the early years of our family, we paid the bills and whatever was left for groceries determined our menus. So a need for a meal or part of a meal meant an extra grocery store bill. I struggled, trapped between my desire to contribute and my budget. It always came together but it was stressful. 

One thing I learned to do to get myself out of this pinch was to plan ahead. I would purchase a whole chicken (relatively inexpensive, nice presentation), into the freezer it went. I learned to keep a small stockpile of green beans or broccoli along with a bag/block of cheddar cheese, again all in the freezer. Sometimes I would get lucky to find a small turkey breast or ham and could store it in the freezer as well. Basically, I anticipated the need.

After my own family lived through several losses, and I found myself in very different financial constraints, I decided I wanted to be more present during the hardships of others. Since my children were adults, I had an empty closet I converted to my “funeral” closet. It is actually where I store things that enable me to show up with a meal, with less effort. I have cups, napkins, plates, but most of all I have aluminum trays and plastic ware ( like Glad-ware or Rubbermaid bowls), all various sizes. I have plastic cake plates, cupcake containers, etc. I really have quite the assortment. All of this means that no one ever has to return dishes to me! 

Now that we have a small family of two, I also have a lot of freezer space. I decided to be even more prepared by precooking. Again anticipating the need. I had adopted the idea of cooking once eating twice when I was working or homeschooling. It was time to expand on those ideas. 

On any given day,  I can open the freezer and find fresh homemade soups, stews and casseroles. They are frozen and packaged to give. I generally plan for 4 servings and double up if need be. It is fun to know I am ready to help when needed and the bonus is that on days when I am exhausted, I have food I can serve for dinner. 

Photo by Jo Atkins-Potts