First off, I know that the Meal Train site has a discloser at the top that recommends restaurant meals or no contact delivery due to COVID. HOMEMADE FOOD IS GREAT!! However, we really would prefer that people cancel if ANYONE in their home has ANY symptoms of illness. I cannot overemphasize how careful we have to be about germs right now (and for the foreseeable future), particularly symptoms that could be COVID. We have been dealing with this pandemic long enough to have data that supports that COVID is particularly lethal for blood cancer, and Kendall has an especially nasty and aggressive form of leukemia. We really will be OK if someone has to cancel on bringing a meal! We have two bins on our front porch, one for Food/Perishables and one for Non-Perishables. This helps me control (and sanitize when applicable) anything that comes into our home (I’m no longer regretting my panic buying at the beginning of the pandemic of so many containers of hospital-grade cleaning wipes!). It’s helpful when people knock on our door to let us know something is there. Depending on what is going on we may not catch you right then (although sometimes we’re able to get a brief socially distanced chat across the lawn – which I love!), but please know how incredibly grateful we are for your service to our family. We also ask that anyone coming to drop something off at our home please wear a mask.
Second, I wanted to express how much these meals have meant to our family. It has been difficult for me to accept so much help, especially as this trial has already lasted for several months and won’t be ending soon. I am much more comfortable being on the other side of serving. I have struggled with feeling guilty about not being able to “pull it together” yet in terms of meal preparation for my family, but with the amount of time I have needed to be back and forth to the hospital, and with the many many things that are constantly demanding my time now (it’s been absolutely insane), taking worrying about meals off my plate has really made a huge difference. There is a verse in the Book of Mormon that says, “the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” I was pondering this earlier this week on one of my (many) drives up to the hospital, thinking about how I have been charged with the care and nurturing of my children, and feeling overwhelmed and like this trial might be heavier than I am able to bear or handle. At that moment a very clear impression came to my mind that the Lord doesn’t expect me to bear this alone, and that He has placed people in my life to help carry this heavy load. That applies to any of you who may be reading this, the many people people who have prayed and fasted for us, and everyone who has reached out in any way to support us during this time.
Another question I get is about the donations through Meal Train. Yes, the site takes a 5% cut of any donation made through there. We’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of so many people who have donated. The truth is that our income has been decreased dramatically while our expenses have risen dramatically, and with Kendall’s intense regimen over the next year it is unlikely that he will be able to return to work anytime soon (or that I’ll be able to work outside the home either, what with COVID and my being the primary caregiver). I’m not sure what we would have done without those donations. It’s humbling to have needed them.
The last thing I wanted to mention about Meal Train is that it is possible to receive email notifications through the site for when I post updates or add dates on the meal calendar. I always additionally post these updates on Facebook, but I have had several people tell me that they often miss seeing those when they don’t show up on their feed, etc. I also know that many people are not on Facebook regularly.
I think that’s it! What a marathon post. We’ve had some setbacks this week, but it does look like the kids and I will be able to still make it down to St. George for a few days. Other than communicating with Kendall and the hospital, I plan to try and unplug from things like email, texting, calls, and even updating Meal Train. We won’t have the biopsy results for several days anyway, but look for an update from me on that this coming Monday. Thank you!
