The BEST EVER Benefit of my Bread

I've been making whole wheat bread for my family and others for I guess over ten years now. There are a lot of benefits to eating the bread we make; there's loads of nutrition and yummy goodness. We are able to make some money selling to friends and able to bless people during times of stress...with a little loaf of bread. We love our bread and others do too, but that's not the best thing...

The VERY BEST BENEFIT of my bread is the dear friend I was given because of it.

Over ten years ago we moved to our present location. We gained a few friends the summer we spent working on the place and discovered that our neighbors are the best in the world, but a couple months after we moved in we were given a VERY special gift: the Fergusons.

There are times in your life when you just KNOW that God has smiled on you and this was one of those times. :o)

One of the ladies I had met the summer before told me about this family that had visited her church and there were SIX sweet kids and the kids actually seemed to like each other (hehehe--sad that that should be a noticable issue). We were having a puppet team come to our church so I decided, with the encouragement of my summer friend, that I should invite this woman and her sweet kids. So, I stepped WAY out of my comfort zone and called her. She has told me many times the shock and joy she experienced at just getting a phone call. She had just moved here from her family's home in Ohio and was living in rather undesirable circumstances while they built their new house. She had yet to make a friend, and YES, she would come!

The night of the performance an unfamiliar lady walked in with a 9-10 year old boy and although we had MANY visitors, I just knew it was her. So again, I stepped out of my comfort zone and walked over and spoke. It WAS her, (and I was SO thankful-phobias are a bad thing!)she was very pleasant, though obviously as uncomfortable as I was with the situation. We chatted a bit...her other kids were sick... thank you for inviting us...I'm glad you canme...enjoyed the presentation...bye! Oh, well.

So, I'm talking with my summer friend again a couple of months later and after telling her that I wanted to learn to make bread she tells me, "Hey! You should call Mrs. Gail (the lady with all the sweet kids). She makes homemade bread and it is SO good!!!" Really? Okay. I was glad to have an opportunity to speak with this pleasant little lady again, so I called. We had the nicest visit and she volunteered to come to my house and teach me to bake bread, and also sell me wheat if I was interested. YES! I'm going to learn to make bread for my family!!!!! I LOVE BREAD, my family loves bread...I am a rock star!!!!

Mrs. Gail came to my house that day, she taught me to make bread and she visited with my family...and we fell in love. "Miss Gail" and her family have been some of our most precious friends since that season. They helped us through the most difficult time of our life and fed us pancakes as we hid from reality. We helped them as they worked on their house and prayed for them as both Stu's (the bread lady's husband) parents died within months of each other after long illnesses. We have loved their sweet kids and cleaned up after them when they were sick, they have loved our kids and borrowed them on many occasions. We have eaten together, swam together, cried together, laughed together, vacationed together, and worked on many projects together. Their sons have been some of our son's most trusted playmates, their baby daughter is our baby daughter's very BEST, bestie...and their oldest son is our oldest daughter's number one husband. Their very first grandbaby is our very first grandbaby and we love them all.

They are moving to North Dakota for (hopefully) a short stay and they will be sorely missed. For a while there will be no more counseling sessions on the picnic table as we overlook the lake, no more quick runs over here for a visit...just for a while. I am sad, more sad than my voice can squeak out. I will miss this woman, one of my BESTIES...but I know that God has a plan for this pain and He will always do what's best for those who belong to Him, even when it hurts REAL BAD.

I love you very, very much "my friend", and I will be praying for you and yours and loving on the ones you are leaving behind and always reminding them that Nana loves them and will be home soon. You are evidence that God still smiles!!!