111 ~ Meal Time

By Kay Heitsch

I didn't eat at the memory care center, but I was there helping "L" eat. At first, she did feed herself, but soon she stopped.

I could tell the lady who prepared the meals took extra care to make sure everyone's plate looked nice. Even people who needed to eat pureed food were included.

It was interesting to listen to these residents talk about the food. I'll share a few things that I remember.

It was dinner time, and a resident was staring at her food. I picked up the fork, put some food on it, and said, "Yummy, yummy, for your tummy." Mary*, who was sitting across the table, said, "Yummy, yummy for your tummy? I never heard that before. It was always, EAT IT OR ELSE, at my house!"

Another time, a resident announced, "Look at this food! Someone must be drunk in the kitchen!"

Across the room came some words of wisdom. "Picky eaters have a limited menu!"

Ken*, one of our residents, came in with a feeding tube. After some time, the feeding tube was removed, and he was able to eat pureed food.

The first day Ken was given his pureed food, Ken dug right in like there was no tomorrow. After he had eaten it all, he began to pray out loud. In a loud voice, Ken prayed, "Our Father who art in heaven, thank you for this delicious food I have just eaten."

I have so many funny, off-color, and inspiring stories that these precious residents said and did. These incidents helped me work in an environment that was out of my comfort zone.

* names changed

Remember how I led you on this long journey. Deuteronomy 8:2