I have previously expressed regret over not learning all of the recipes that I should have while my mother was still here with me. One of the recipes that I really wish that I had right now was for my mom's chicken and rice soup. Anytime that anybody in our family showed the first sign of a cold, my mom would bust out the giant stock pot and produce a massive quantity of chicken and rice soup. Even after my brother and I left home, if one of us was sick, the stock pot came out and chicken and rice soup was delivered directly to our doors. It was just another one of the ways that she cared for the people that she loved. I have done my best to try to emulate her in her gift for caring for people, but I'm not quite there yet. And the difference is that while I truly enjoy taking care of people in the little ways that I can, I still sometimes need someone to take care of me.
So for the past week or so, I have been fighting the wretched cold of doom. And I have been on emotional overload missing my mom, wishing that I had some of her chicken and rice soup to help me through the cold. Every time I get a cold now, as if it isn't bad enough to feel bad physically, I also feel bad emotionally because I remember when I had someone taking care of me when I was sick and I long for that again.
