Bacon from Heaven

Once upon a time, there was a family whose cupboards were becoming emptier by the day.  You couldn't see it on the children's faces.  Mother was creative and spread the ingredients wide over days.  But, behind her "have a good day" smiles, she wondered, "what if?"  Fathers face worried.  His eyebrows pulled down until you could no longer see his smiles and the children began to wonder if he loved them still.  But of course, he loved them.  He wondered how it was that the work of his own hands could be so empty that his children might go unfed.

Mother knew that "unfed" wouldn't happen for at least a week.  There was rice enough for that, though the meat was gone, the canned fruit nearly there, and milk enough for this one day.

A knock on the door that afternoon brought them a surprise.  Mother's very good friend.  "Come with me.  And don't say no."  Mother smiled.  It was unlike her friend to be so very mysterious.  She followed her to her car.  "I don't know why, but I feel like you need this more than we do."  In her trunk was a box full of frozen meat...a farm raised pig had lived out his season in the sunshine and was now here, at Mother's door when she needed it most.  "Don't worry about it."  Her good friend said, "We still have plenty in our freezer at home."

Mother couldn't believe it, and there was no way she would say no to bacon from heaven.