I really like people. Most people are interesting to talk to and I usually learn something when I talk to strangers. Saturday, when I was waiting in line at CVS for my flu shot, I met a wonderful grandmother. In only a few minutes, we discovered that we grew up in the same town. Shortly thereafter, we realized that my mom had worked with her husband at one of the local banks. Somehow, we moved to talking about our mutual love for travel For me, it doesn’t take very long before the topic turns to children and food allergies. Sound familiar? It’s only natural, since I adore my boys, and food allergies have played a steady role in our daily routine for over two decades.
It was interesting to learn that this friendly grandmom has twin grandsons, and their twelve year old friend has food allergies. It was easy to quickly gain respect and admiration for her, when she talked about taking her grandsons and their friend out to eat in restaurants. She confidently accepts the handoff of the epi-pen from the boy’s mom, and off they go. People like this make the world a better place.
While we’re on the topic of grandparents, it was joyously overwhelming to see the number of grandparents at the food allergy fundraising walk back in September. Of the thousands of families that attended, it seemed that more than half were accompanied by the grandparents. And the ones I spoke with seemed actively involved in the grandchild’s food allergies. They had recipes and routines to keep the grandchildren happy and safe.
And let’s not forget my mom. For the last 22 years, she’s adjusted some of her kitchen routines to make it a safe haven for food allergen free meals. For many a holiday celebration, she’s cooked two meals, or one huge meal that was food allergen free for the entire family. And for almost a decade, she fed us once a week to free us from our own kitchen. Remember, it was only recently, that some restaurants decided to attempt to safely serve individuals with food allergies. To this day, our boys still look forward to Nana’s homemade apple pie. And yes, she makes the crust from scratch! Thanks Nana.
Love, Ann
Tags: food allergies, grandparents
