I need you to bring those sweet desserts and savory soups
Ok, the truth is obvious... pancreatic cancer is no party. But, oh the kindness of friends and family in bringing gifts to tempt her appetite. These angels with chef aprons brought a smile to mom's heart.
One of the hardest parts of this journey with pancreatic cancer is the constant nausea and loss of appetite. The cancer and subsequent treatments played havoc with mom's digestive system. Weight loss became our number one enemy and we fought it with everything we had...
And that's where our friends and family really stepped up. Dad and I were so busy as caregivers, shuttling mom back and forth to treatments, tests and doctor appointments, as well as making her as comfortable as we could, that meals were a toss-up at best. When friends offered to bring dinner by, we accepted with all the grace of a drowning man being tossed a life preserver!
Bringing gifts of dinner or lunch for mom made a profound impact on not only her well-being, but ours as well. It was the sweetest blessing.
And recently I learned of two amazing websites that make coordinating meals for our loved ones a breeze. If you are in a position to offer help in this area, the free tools found on these sites will make your day...
Take Them a Meal was created by a small group of friends who suddenly found themselves trying to organize meals for a close friend stricken by a serious heart condition. They knew meals would be a welcome relief for her husband and four young children, but the task of coordinating these meals was overwhelming. And when ingenuity met inspiration, Take Them a Meal was created.
This website is an online tool for coordinating the delivery of
meals to loved ones. If someone is ill,
oftentimes family, friends, co-workers, or church members rally around
these families to take them meals. In the past, one person would
coordinate (by phone or email) the scheduling of the meals. Now, the
meal coordinator can use TakeThemAMeal.com to allow the meal providers
to sign up for the day or days when they will provide meals to the meal
recipients.
Lotsa Helping Hands takes this concept one step further... It is also an online tool for coordinating meals, but with their Help Calendar you can request help with child care, trips to the doctor, and other needs, as well as give updates and announcements to your online group. Lotsa Helping Hands has a beautiful tribute page entitled Stories of Hope that will lift your spirits and renew your faith in the kindess of others.
And both sites are free... it doesn't get much better. Go on, check them out... you and your loved one will be glad you did!
There is Beauty in the Body when we come alongside and journey together...
"Those of us who
are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to
those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us.
Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after
the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”
~ Romans 15:1 (The Message)
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