Essential Pairings

Remember when Thrillist won our hearts by pairing Girl Scout Cookies with specific wines in 2015?  It was life-giving.

There are essential pairings in life that bring strength and comfort into the world. For Christians, it’s bread and red wine (or bread and Welch’s grape juice.)  For those celebrating Rosh Hashanah this week, it’s apples and honey.

I experience deep personal joy when the following are paired:

• Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
• Bacon and eggs
• Yolanda Pierce and a microphone

During a recent flight, I read The Dinner Party by Stephie Grob Plante in the Southwest Magazine about a real non-profit that organizes dinner parties for strangers who have experienced loss.  This phrase grabbed me:

“Food and grief, one of the most consistent pairings in human history.”

God knows this is true.

Most likely, we have all experienced the”consistent pairing” of food and grief.   When my mother died, Mary Moreau – a woman I barely knew from church – brought a broccoli and chicken casserole.  When Rachel’s husband Mark was caught having an affair with Thelma in Chapter 13 of Heartburn, Rachel smashed a key lime pie in Mark’s face at a dinner party.  And in thanksgiving for Nora Ephron, a friend brought me a key lime pie – which we ate in its entirety – after a seminary boyfriend cheated on me.

Food and grief are one of the most consistent pairings in human history.

As the world around us is reeling from multiple hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, and refugee crises, we whose first inclination would be to take food to those who grieve find ourselves – most likely – unable to pair these particular tragedies with pie or casseroles.  But there is another life-giving pairing that every single one of us can offer to our neighbors in need.

Please pair your compassion with a financial donation. I suggest Presbyterian Disaster Assistance for three big reasons:

1. Most of the money goes to those in need (Only 12% goes to administrative costs.  Anywhere from 0-15% is the highest score in Charity Navigator.)
2. PDA sticks around when most other relief organizations go home. (Example:  we are still assisting those impacted by Katrina and Sandy.)
3. PDA organizes teams of volunteers who go in after the first responders finish their work.

You can donate $10 immediately by texting PDA to 20222.

You can donate more by going here.

Please do not send socks or used clothing.  Please do remember the essential pairing of prayer and money.  It’s almost as old a pairing as food and grief.

Image from Thrillist.