For as long as I can remember, a glass of milk has been my go to comfort drink.  Long before I spiraled into glass after glass of wine to silence the voices in my head, I drank milk to ease my nerves.  I even downed a glass before walking down the aisle!  Last night at 2 a.m., after tossing and turning for far too long, I tiptoed into the kitchen to pour myself a cold glass of milk.

As I put the lone half gallon back into the fridge, I came face to face with another aspect of this new reality of Pandemic Life.  Rationing.  In the USA, especially in the metro area in which I live, we are so very used to having everything we could ever want or need a short drive or web search away.  We are softened by abundance and easy access.

No longer.  I pray that one of the positive outcomes (and there will be some) of this pandemic will be the end of wastefulness.  The end of wanting the latest and greatest.  The end of buying 5 when 1 will be sufficient.

This morning I rinsed off the tin foil that covered the apple pie we finished last night.  As the water flowed from the faucet, my mind flashed back to my maternal grandmother.  I could vividly see her victory garden, dirt cellar filled with food she had preserved, and the kitchen drawer of neatly folded tinfoil, washed and ready for the next use.

Turning the water off, I heard her whispering in my heart, encouraging me.  “I love you. You can do this. We are all here with you.”

Her message is just as comforting as cold glass of milk.