The sounds and smell of food cooking on the stove or in the oven are something comforting to my senses, and I also feel cared for when I know someone is sacrificially cooking for me out of love and kindness. In the supper table mealtimes of our daily life, it is my husband and I sharing a meal together, just the two of us, ever since our son was old enough to move out on his own. Sometimes we include others around our table in the evenings where the stories of our lives are shared; making life richer and ensuring those within eye contact that they are not alone. I share with you today a sentimental piece of my story that comes early in the mornings for me, where the love of my husband greets me with his breakfast offering.
As I put my makeup on in the morning, finish doing my hair, and get dressed, I hear the familiar sounds of my dear husband cooking breakfast for me when he gets out the frying pans and starts to cook. He is in the kitchen almost every morning as I get myself ready for work, where I hear and smell the sausage or bacon sizzling in the pan. I hear him telling me, “Five more minutes, and it will be done!”
I quickly finish getting ready and make my way out to the kitchen counter where I watch him, with kindness, put 1-2 pieces of sausage or bacon, fried eggs or scrambled eggs with cheese (because I love my eggs), and usually buttered toast or fruit on our plates before we sit together. He always has a fresh cup of hot coffee with his breakfast. I usually drink the rest of my coffee I didn’t finish earlier in the morning. We hold hands, and he prays over our breakfast. We listen to a contemporary Christian radio station on the computer while we eat together and talk about our plans for the day before I leave for work. I think about my husband’s kindness and love in serving me, and I am humbled inside. I don’t ever want to take him for granted, and I give him a hug, a kiss, and a “thank you” before I go out the door.
He has faithfully made me breakfast in the mornings for about 5 years now, ever since the year he medically had to retire. For most of our 39 years of marriage, he was out the door very early for his work. As a businessman who owned a vending and coffee service for over 21 years, he left early with his hot cup of coffee, to ensure timely coffee delivery to the customers on his route. Because the health changes happened unexpectedly in his life, he had to retire many years earlier than he would have liked to. He worked through the emotional difficulty of it all with a degree in counseling and a strong faith in God. He began to love me then in a different way that included making me breakfast before work and showing me one of his love languages—acts of service.
In this story, the sacrifice is made in the breakfast offering; the breaking of bread together in the morning that sets the tone for the day. It’s in the “I know he doesn’t have to, but he still does it” place where his love is action to me. I am grateful for the blessing of my husband’s gift and for the way he makes me feel loved and cared for in the offering of the food he cooks, which always is a reflection of his heart. The sound of sizzling sausage or bacon in a frying pan and its distinct and pleasing aroma will always stir up something inside me and remind my heart of my husband’s tender love and care.
“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12 NLT
Noreen Sevret is a writer who shares about finding hope in simple life moments, sorrows, and pain while seeking beauty in unexpected places. She is passionate about taking pictures of ordinary things—often on the road less traveled. Noreen lives in upstate New York, where she finds joy in growing flowers, watching sunsets, visiting the ocean, walking with her husband, coffee with friends, visiting her mom for a cup of tea, and facilitating journaling and book study classes for women. Noreen and her husband of 39 years walked through an international adoption journey years ago that changed their lives with the adoption of their son, Max. When She is not writing or enjoying family, friends, and nature, she is likely serving at the local funeral home where she works full-time.
Noreen writes and hosts a radio devotional, Reflections by the Water, heard on NoteSpire Radio twice a week. You can also find her on her website, Instagram, and Facebook.
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