Word are completely inadequate as I try to describe how blessed we are. People are so kind, thoughtful, generous to us, and we are overwhelmed by the love and goodness!

We are so grateful for the emails, notes, gifts, practical help, thoughts, prayers, food, … We feel surrounded and uplifted by our amazing circle of amazing folks, both near and far. This deluge of support encourages us on so many levels. We know we are not alone in this journey, and that makes an indescribable difference.

Let me just tell you about the food. When people started to hear our news, they began bringing meals and muffins oh my! It was wonderful, because I was having a hard time getting dinner on the table each night. I was enlisting the help of my kids who are great helpers, but it was still too much. Eating healthy is really important to me, and it cheered my heart so much as well! But as the news started to spread, the food started to fill our fridge and freezer and … Not only was our cup overflowing! We borrowed a small freezer from friends (which started to look fairly full too!) Another friend set up a website to help coordinate the flow of food, and now it’s a fantastic rhythm of three meals per week, plus a bit extra that lovely people seem to slip in!

This is wonderful, because I still get to cook but when I don’t have the energy there is always healthy food (often arriving hot at our door at mealtime!) …  but there’s something else that I don’t really know how to describe. The love that people cook with nourishes our hearts, and when we sit down to dinner, we are enjoying a kind of community with them. I don’t tend to have enough energy to be with people in the evenings, but we sense their presence, their love, their generosity as we eat the food they graciously prepare. We give thanks for them as well as the meal, and pray God’s rich blessings on them.

Even more, I’m surprised by how much gratitude permeates my thoughts and feelings throughout the days and nights. I never would have expected to feel so thankful so much of the time in these circumstances, but that is another hugely significant way in which our cup overflows. I really do feel carried on an immense wave of grace and gratitude, for which I give deep and heartfelt thanks (and credit!) to God.

Not only does our cup overflow, but so does our saucer!