Observations from the Kitchen

Grandma is Queen of the Kitchen and the aroma of her baking wafts through Linwood House. She loves to bake butter tarts for a certain Pastor from North Vancouver, butterscotch pie for Jen and Sue, cereal cookies for Rob and apple pie for Ron. Two large tins of cookies were waiting on the shelf for the women that arrived to participate in The Journey. Dorothea was given a pan of Matrimonial Squares for her birthday and Grandma baked a rich double chocolate cake for the joint birthday dinner of Doug and Dorothea. When it gets very crowded in the kitchen she bows out and leaves the cacophony of sound for the tranquillity of her suite.

Last week was a hectic one with The Journey numbering 28 guests and workers, one day break and then a team of painters, making our meal time number 35. But all in all, it was about community, gathering at the table and sharing, everyone participating and moving forward.

It never ceases to amaze me just how profound sitting down to "break bread" together is. Laughter or tears, stories and tales, listening then speaking, pondering, watching, enjoying, or at times even retreating. There is a flow like the underground stream beneath the house. It is the essential ingredient to life - living water.

The first meal for our friends from Downtown Eastside Vancouver was prepared with comfort in mind: roast chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, carrots in creamy onion fresh herb sauce. Grandma made apple crisp and it was served with dollops of whip cream. Comfort food that was designed to subtly invite them to come in, find safety and to remind them perhaps of happy memories from childhood (if there are any). Having been at Linwood for only a few hours most of our first time guests were still very much in protective mode and controlling what they can - that happened to be what they did, or did not eat. Many plates came back with portions of the meal untouched.

The last meal we prepared for these beautiful women was designed to be living food (fresh greens with as many raw ingredients as possible without being intimidating) as well as a portion of some essential food for women's health - salmon with Omega 3 oil in it. Women should eat salmon and broccoli at least once a week. With fragrant rice and fresh bread we set the banquet out and suggested they help themselves. This meal was the one meal where there were no leftovers!

Those who come to the table may not be aware of how or why this particular menu was chosen. What is important is that you enjoy it, enjoy community as you eat and that you be touched by the fragrance of the Kingdom. The aroma of unconditional love and grace.