”Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him.” Psalm 34:8

It is remarkable what can happen in the span of nine years; many up and downs along the way. All this time my mom has not been here. I will tell her all the good parts one day, but today I have to tell you a tale of two feasts, nine years apart.

Almost to the day, we gathered in my father’s home after my moms funeral. Family came together to remember and kids played in the woods. They seemed a bit oblivious to the pain and I am thankful. While we were attending the service, some friends had come over and literally covered the dining room table with food. There was so much and I knew it was their way of showing love, but I do not remember tasting anything. Grief seems to steal your appetite, but leaves the taste of salty tears stamped in your memory forever.

Now here we are nine years later and our oldest had her senior prom cancelled. Her dress had been bought and a handsome boy had asked for her company, but the fear of death has shut so many things down. So we came up with a plan to invite a small number of kids over and have a back porch prom. Her and the sisters took charge of decorations and the whole family came together to make it happen. My one concern was what to serve the parents who stopped by for pictures. Normal appetizers would not do and everything would need to be seized with a toothpick.

The night before I was still stumped over this detail when a friend texted. She wanted to know if she could help and I shared with her my concern. She told me she had it covered. Arriving in the pouring rain, her and her husband delivered a feast! There was so much food that we could not serve it all! Our entire kitchen island was covered with incredible delights. There were not proper words to say thank you for this act of love that tasted incredible.

I put away so much food that went untouched and we invited another big family over the next night, which happened to be the nine year mark. We laughed, caught up and the kids played. All the while I thought about what a difference time makes because the choices we make. One feast was served with sorrow and another with joy with an abundance to share. Trusting the Lord in the in between made all the difference. He really is good, even when the feast includes salt.