It’s a Yoder thing…

Legend has it that many years and many generations ago there was a Yoder who once died a slow, awful death of starvation. Besides the fact that it was a Yoder and that the death was long and painful there aren’t many details. Its just one of those facts of life every Yoder knows and accepts. The knowledge gets passed from one generation to the next right along side stories of Aunt Fannie falling into the creek while wearing a new dress she was proud of and Grossmommy putting a cup of milk and graham crackers at little Sammy’s bedside in case he gets hungry during the night. ( I actually own the original little brown cup- I got it at Grossmommy’s auction. )

It is because of this fact that us Yoders are always worried about food. Its why Dad insists on putting a pack of cheese slices into my purse before I board that plane for Haiti and its why Aunt Kate used to go to gross gma with a hefty slice of chocolate pie stashed in her diaper bag supposedly for her children or maybe it was for her unborn baby!! And its why she still takes food in her purse- only now its in case one of the grandchildren gets hungry.

I know how it is- slipping that peanut butter and honey sandwich or a wedge of cheese into my purse in case I get light-headed. I know very well how it feels  when all the peers smell like fancy perfume but somehow mine got lost by the overwhelming scent of ham sandwich or sweet bologna cubes that I’m hiding in that cute purse- the cute purse that might not even have money in it! The following photos are the insides of two Yoder purses before leaving on a two hour road trip. These photos are genuine- not posed. These purses were packed with careful forethought they are meant to sustain life.

Now as a mom I do it for sure. I rarely if ever step out the door without water and a snack for Veronika and more than enough to break and share with others like Jesus broke the loaves and fishes that the little Yoder boy carried along when everyone else forgot!!

In a lot of ways Veronika is so thoroughly Yoder you’d never guess she wasn’t biologically a Yoder! To her the food issue is as alive and well as in any of us and in fact because of her early starvation and close to death experience as an infant it is very strong. She loves food, loves to eat and loves to cook and yes, she must carry a spare honey pot.