Reflections of days gone by from my mom, Connie...
As I am packing for my trip to Lima for the dedication of Carl’s Kitchen, I can’t help but stop and reflect on Carl, my endearing husband of 36 years, the loving father of our beautiful daughters and beloved “Papa” of our five precious grandchildren.
When Melissa prayerfully chose this venue to honor her dad, the rest of our family eagerly jumped on the bandwagon. Feeding people was Carl’s love language, so this was a perfect legacy for him. Carl’s Kitchen will be a blessing to many hungry children for years to come.
The Holy Spirit reminded me today that Carl also blessed others through food while he was still alive here on earth. A few memories were given to me that I would like to share.
Carl loved horses and livestock, and we lived on a farm in Newport, MI. By the way, that farm and barn he built is now an international animal rescue called, “The Devoted Barn”. I remember Carl getting a great deal on a number of hogs. He fattened them up and blessed the entire neighborhood with a free hog. And there was also a time that he bought 50 baby turkeys, raising them in time for Thanksgiving. You guessed it. Everyone he knew, friends and family, got a free turkey for Thanksgiving that year. He later raised baby chicks and gave them all away too. When the girls got married, he started raising Black Angus beef cattle (only the best), so he could keep their families supplied with prime, corn raised beef every year.
He loved candy and always seemed to have some in his pocket. I have a fond memory of him offering candy to some children that he didn’t know. I had to remind him that parents teach their children not to accept candy from strangers! I think he gave it to them anyway! :-)
Speaking of food, I would like to share Carl’s favorite meal, and you will probably be surprised how simple it was. Fresh green beans cooked with salt pork, fried potatoes & onions and cornbread. It took me decades to finally bake cornbread like his grandmother’s. The missing ingredient was bacon grease! Carl’s favorite dessert was coconut cream pie, and his birthdays were always celebrated with made from scratch, German Chocolate Cake.
Carl would be so proud of his entire family supporting and personally dedicating Carl’s Kitchen on June 23rd. A huge thank you to Melissa for coming up with this dream and making it happen. She has spent endless hours behind the scenes making all of this possible. And, thank you Latin Equip for giving us this opportunity to partner with you. We can’t wait to help feed these 100 hungry children; and not just with food, but with the love of Jesus.
Blessings,
Connie
