The Thanksgiving dinner leftovers are all gone by now, but I am still chewing on a number of thoughts from our celebration at The Well Community.
One might think the highlight was the truly awesome feast provided by Central Market. After all, how do you top turkey, ham, savory dressing, whipped potatoes, green beans with almonds, roasted brussels sprouts, roasted vegetables, toasted truffled cauliflower and gravy? And all that was the second course! The meal started with kale salad with apples and candied pecans, roasted beets with pistachios. It ended with a platter of dessert bars and brownies and incredible pies. Plus, they sent two vases of beautiful flowers.
This expression of generosity was an especially timely gift. You see, the day before, we lost Mary, one of our long-time members. She unexpectedly left this earth in her sleep. Our friend had lived with and taken care of her mother, who is very fragile and cannot live alone. Because of the generosity of Central Market and the kindness of members of The Well Community, together we have been able to bring comfort and care to our friend’s mother. We were able to share the meal and flowers with this grieving woman. In addition, four of our members are staying with her until the family can make other plans. And it is our privilege to do Mary’s memorial service for her own family and for The Well family.
This month we have blogged about the importance of family in supporting those living daily with mental health difficulties. For many of our members, their families are not available to help, and so, at The Well, we are family to each other. I was reminded of this as we sat around the tables at our Thanksgiving meal. There were stories and laughter and words of encouragement … just like at any family’s festive gathering. And when our friend passed away, our members cared for her mother just as they would have for their own.
This is why The Well exists: to be a community that can cry together, celebrate together and serve together. And as a family, we can give and receive with great thanksgiving.
Alice
Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter or keep visiting our website to learn more about how the kindness of Well Community members and the generosity of many make The Well a family for those living with mental illness.
