As soon as I walked in the house I could smell the pinto beans, ham, and cornbread that was waiting for me in the kitchen. If we got really lucky there would be soda pop cake waiting for us in the fridge.  My family was greeted with a warm hug and then we fixed our plates, sat down at the table, and enjoyed our delicious meal. The meal was filled with comfort, it had the same effect as being surrounded by a warm blanket or sitting by the fireplace.The beans she made were the best that I’ve ever had and the cornbread was always made from scratch. If she knew I was coming over around dinner time she would always make it for me and my sister, it was our special treat. She always cooked more than enough and would always say, “Come back tomorrow and eat the rest.” With my family’s busy life we were never able to go back the next night. Now I regret not asking to go more.  If she didn’t know that we were coming and she hadn’t made beans for me, she would apologize for not having good food for me to eat. That wasn’t the only amazing meal she could cook but the most memorable for me would be those beans, ham, and cornbread. 

The times that she made that meal for us started to come to a stop and my family started to bring food over to her house instead. Now we walk in and she is sitting in her chair just hearing whoever is talking to her but never listening. My granny just got diagnosed with dementia and I know that I’ll never get to eat my favorite meal again. Everytime that I smell or see any of those foods I think about granny and all of the great times that we have had because of the foods that brought us together. Of course the meal was good, but the taste of the beans, ham, and cornbread is not what I will remember about my granny, I will remember us playing marbles or her telling me stories about her childhood. I will remember how she always made that meal for me everytime she could just because she knew that I loved it. 

When it comes to food and family, you won’t remember the turkey that you ate on Thanksgiving day, you’ll remember the football game you played with your cousins or just talking to an aunt you haven’t seen in a long time. I believe that food is one of the greatest tools that can be used to unite people. Food can celebrate everyone’s differences while not thinking about the differences, you think about how amazing of a time you’re having and how great the people are who are surrounding you. 

I know that not very many people have grannys who cook them pinto beans and cornbread when they come over to their house, but everyone has a special meal that carries great memories along with it. Cherish the little things in life like a meal, you never know when the last of that thing will be. I didn’t know when the last meal of beans and cornbread would be and now I regret not cherishing the meal more. Now everytime I go in her kitchen while I’m there, I think about all of the food that has been cooked there. I think about all the meals we’ve had around the table. I think about all the games of marbles we’ve played after our meal. I think about all of the memories that have been made in that kitchen and the binding force between all of them, food. Most of my favorite stories come from a place where there was food involved, whether it was good or bad. So enjoy every meal with the people you love while it lasts because you never know when the last one will be.