Six days ago I loaded my car with dirty laundry and driving music and headed south to be with my mom during and after her foot surgery. I had a plan of helping out around the house and cooking meals since mom would be semi-immobile for the first 72 hours. Little did I know that our church family and longtime friends would show my family the love that they did and that my purpose would be fellowship and not cooking. From day 1 of my mom’s recovery, there was no cooking that needed to be done at our house. Carli, a coworker of my brother’s and longtime family friend, had put together a huge tray of amazing enchiladas with the sweetest ‘instructions’ on the lid for my family to eat the day of the surgery. Saturday and Sunday brought more home cooked Mexican food from friends at my hometown church, and Monday a delicious apple tart was delivered to our doorstep. Rumor has it pizza made its way to our dinner table yesterday after I left, and chicken and dumplings will be delivered tomorrow. I’ve always felt blessed to have the loving friends and close-knit church family that I do in Willcox, but my gratitude today comes from the simple fact that even when I can’t be there, I know they are taking care of the people that mean the most to me.