In addition to the amazing time I had seeing Dolly with two of my best girls, I also got food poisoning. Definitely not how I wanted to spend my trip seeing Dolly or the first of my Thanksgiving break. But I can say that God provides in all seasons and I was blessed even in this. Being sick away from home is one of my biggest fears. Getting sick is bad enough but to not have the comfort and familiarity of home makes it doubly worse. Fortunately, I had two registered dieticians and a doctor to take care of me on the trip home. And my best friend Melanie, one of the dieticians, works at a surgical weight loss clinic so she understands the unique things that I face as a Gastric Sleeve patient. Because of my surgery, there are certain medications I can't take and there is an extra concern of me getting dehydrated. After I told them I was sick, they put me back to bed and later on I woke up to Powerade Zero, stomach medicine I knew I could take, and sweet friends who had gotten me blankets and even brought me toast from the breakfast buffet. They were definitely my helpers in my time of need!
After several days of bumming it on the couch and Watson doing a wonderful job of taking care of me here at home, I can now say I think I've "turned the corner" and am finally feeling better. I am back on my way to cleaning, decorating, and cooking! My first thing to make today was some of my grandmother's vegetable soup, or Butler Stew as it is known in our family and to my friends. It is really just a basic vegetable soup recipe and it is definitely not thick enough to truly be considered a stew but it is delicious all the same. The first cold weekend of the Fall, my mom would make some Butler Stew and I would get to invite my two best friends over to share it with us. There wasn't much arm twisting or convincing required! Usually their parents would end up coming along too and we would have soup, cornbread, crackers, and great conversation. Another of our fun traditions was for my Mom to cook Butler Stew the night of the Baldwyn Christmas parade. We would go stand in the cold, shivering as we waited for candy and to wave to the people we knew riding by in cars or walking with bands or cheerleading squads. Then we'd come home and thaw out with the delicious soup. So many good memories!
This soup has been simmering all afternoon and the aroma of it has filled my house and my mind with memories. The smells of home grown canned tomatoes, ground beef, corn, potatoes, green beans, carrots, and lima beans warming and mingling together are like a kind embrace enveloping me. Add to that the unmistakable smell of fresh cornbread in the oven and I have been in heaven! The act of getting up and preparing this soup has done wonders in helping me feel better and more "normal" again. That's why I think soup is good for the soul. There's just something so comforting about a nice warm bowl of soup. After all the ugliness and bitterness we've seen the past few weeks in our country, I just want to give everybody a bowl of soup and say, "Here, have a seat, grab a spoon, feel some comfort, and let's talk it out." If only it could be solved that way. Here's to warm houses, warm hearts, and warm soup that's good for the soul.
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