More Than A Meal

This morning I threw some chicken in the crock pot thinking about the yummy meal that was coming tonight.....

Chicken and Noodles.

My Foods teacher in high school would of scoffed at the same colored food on the plate.  But I was excited.

This meal has become one of our absolute favorites.  Christmas, 8 years ago, my Mom-in-law taught me how to make noodles.  Tony and I had just started dating 3 weeks before.  At the time I thought I was helping with the Christmas meal.  What my now husband had to inform me was that I had indeed begun "daughter-in-law training."  A process that Tony's grandmother had taken her through.  Slow, sweet teaching of their future daughters in preparation of them caring for their sons.  It was their way of passing the baton.

Addilece helping Grandma noodle sort one Christmas

As I stood mixing, rolling, cutting, and getting flour everywhere this afternoon (pretty typical of noodle making) I began thinking about this.  My Mom-in-law cared enough about her son, me, and our relationship to instill in me not only his favorite recipes but tibits she had learned about her son over the years, tips on marriage and child-rearing, and things that made her household work.

This last Thanksgiving my Mom-in-law was in Grandma heaven.  She sat with several of her grandkiddos around her rolling, cutting, and laughing.  She took time to soak in each of their individual personalities.  Like she took time to invest in Tony and my future, she was now taking time to invest in these precious little ones futures.

Tony's Grandmother meeting Addilece.  She passed away 3 or 4 months after this photo was taken.

Today Addilece trotted down from her quiet/nap time right as I was cutting my last batch of noodles.  She climbed up on a stool and dove into sorting for me.  I wonder what Tony's grandmother would think to see how her simple task of "passing the baton" has carried from generation to generation.  Each noodle that my Mom-in-law, or my sister-in-laws, or I make and the memories that come with them is because over 30 years ago a woman decided to invest in her future-daughter-in-law.  She chose to let her be a wife to her husband.  I'm so appreciate of both her and my Mom-in-law for investing, for seeing beyond the meal they were putting on the table.  What an example they are to me.