Last year, our daughter started college at the town’s local university. She moved into the dorm less than ten minutes from our house and dove into college life. About three weeks in, she texted to share that some of her new friends hadn’t enjoyed a home-cooked meal in over a month (Some of the student-athletes move to campus mid-summer and don’t have a chance to go home often). Her bleeding heart was breaking for them as she gets her generous spirit straight from her parents. At that point, I usually fed her and her roommate on Sunday evenings anyway, so I encouraged her to bring more friends. The kids who came were endlessly grateful so my husband and I told them they could come back the next Sunday. Little did we know what we’d started.
The group grew and grew and now we feed more than a dozen kids each week. It’s a blessing beyond our imaginations as every Sunday I plan a meal and these wonderful kids show up for what’s become known as “Family Dinner”. Sometimes they bring an extra, a girlfriend or boyfriend, or a kid they think is lonely, but always they bring an appetite and a fierce hunger for connection.
My husband and I come from small families. We each have one sibling and though my husband’s parents each have three siblings, my parents each have only one. Family reunions are relatively small affairs when I compare with some Kansas families boasting more than five or six siblings per generation. Consequently, I never learned to cook for large groups. Don’t get me wrong, my mother usually had 10-12 people at Thanksgiving or Easter having invited the neighbors or a widow/widower from our church family, but that was once or twice a year. Also, people usually brought in side dishes. I know you’re surprised, but the college kids come empty handed and “empty stomached”. Suddenly cooking for more than a dozen people once a week continues to boggle my mind at times.
That being said, I cannot quantify my gratitude. “Family dinner” now acts as the center of all my weekly events. It trumps church activities, work commitments, and all other invitations. It’s my top priority each week and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I spend time searching for recipes, considering their preferences and food allergies, and praying my grocery budget extends to meet the need. I hope by writing about our weekly experiences I inspire someone to invite the unknown into their lives, to seek connection from somewhere they’d never thought to explore, and to open their homes to someone who’s lonely even when it seems like that shouldn’t be the case. I wasn’t looking for God to use me in this manner but there’s no stopping it now.
One plate at a time,
MH
Creating Family Dinner 