Brake pads and chicken won't fix this.

I'm not good with difficult situations. I never have been. I don't know what to say to people when they have a death in the family, or when they get divorced, or come down with some illness. Everything one could say seems hollow, so I usually say nothing, which is at least as bad.

Today is different. In an hour or so, we will welcome one of our Ft Bliss families home. They had been in Arizona for a few months because their daughter was undergoing treatment for a rare heart defect. Yesterday, about this time of day, she lost the fight. She was just a month older than Chai. The family (mom, dad, 5-year-old brother, and 4-year-old sister) is coming back here to pack up, and then driving cross country tomorrow, because they're going to have the baby's funeral in their hometown.

Today I got a message from my friend (the mom of this baby) asking if Thak can get the car ready for the trip. The brakes are bad, so he'll have to replace them, of course, and otherwise, just make sure it's good to go. Of course it was no question that Thak will fix the car. That's a given. I answered her before even calling Thak to let him know, and then called him to tell him we were going over to their house after he got off work, and that he would need to do some brakes and a general inspection. Of course he was all about it when he heard who it was for.

Then I did what every southern woman on the planet would do. I went through my freezer and pantry, and figured out what would be a good meal to cook. This family will be just coming off a long road trip, and almost 4 months of living in Ronald McDonald House. A home cooked meal is what they need the most. I made a big batch of chicken and rice, and packed it up in a disposable casserole dish. When Chai's done nursing, I'm going to make some cookies, too.

New brakes and food will not fix this, but for being of the "bad with words" persuasion, I feel a bit fortunate to be in the position to actually DO something, as small and inconsequential as it may be in the grand scheme of things.