I'll take all the comfort I can get...

     There's an English actor named Jason Isaacs (don't really know anything about him except we share the same year of birth) who said "Every time I make a plan, God laughs at me" - well, he was one smart guy!  While I had great plans to start 2012 by getting organized, clearing my unanswered 2011 emails from my KC inbox and, most importantly, designing my newly-born blog - things ended up taking a different turn.  As most of you know, Guy's mom became seriously ill this week and had surgery on Thursday.  Guy headed up to Michigan to be with his family, and I wanted nothing more than to accompany him - but, alas, my respiratory system had been invaded by warring viruses and bacteria and I was too sick to get on the plane.  It was a long and difficult week, but I learned alot about seeking comfort.
     When my body and soul longed for comfort, I was lucky enough to find it coming from all directions.  Most importantly, I found great comfort in God's sweet grace that brought Mary safely through her surgery and shepherded us all through a very fearful time.  I was also surrounded by great waves of comfort from my dear friends and family who raised us all up in prayer and cared for us in big and small ways (not the least of which was a warm bowl of soup delivered to me when I was sick by dear RoRo).  And, because I am who I am, when this long week came to an end, I felt a deep, almost visceral need to seek comfort in my kitchen -- I needed to cook.  In my head I knew I should be picking out a "healthy" recipe- good grief it was still the second week in January - but, I couldn't.  This is not the week for ground turkey, brown rice or kale (sorry Giada - I'll get to that soon, I promise).  Nope, I needed something warm, creamy and hearty to comfort both my body and my soul - so I headed to the kitchen with my friend the Barefoot Contessa.

     So - finally it's Sunday night - the end of a very long week.  My mother-in-law is recovering well from surgery.  My husband is home.  My Z-Pac has worked wonders on my head and throat.  I spent a few hours in my cozy kitchen bringing together bacon, cream, potatoes, and corn to prepare Ina's Cheddar Corn Chowder for supper - and we even have leftovers ready for dinner tomorrow.  I am now very, very comforted.