Lessons From the Resurrection Fern
Kathy Stanley is the Director of Joy’s Kitchen, the food pantry based in Southern Gables. Joy’s Kitchen provides food for an average of 5000 families a month. Last month, someone stole their truck. It was recovered, in badly damaged condition, and taken to a garage down near Ken Caryl for a repair estimate. Last weekend, it was stolen again! From the garage! We asked Kathy to contribute this week’s article. She wrote about overcoming obstacles.
By Kathy Stanley
What a beautiful reminder a resurrection fern is.
She looks like she’s died, a dried-up ball of once-was livingness that’s held witness to my space, my hOMe for a full season — laying in waiting while life happens all around.
Her long fern arms curled tightly around her center, protecting her core. Color drained and faded, she is delicate in her slumber. A patient understanding she has with herself is happening that she can get what she needs by being still, holding never ending hope for a chance to unfold again.
Hope.
She is brittle and yet is never without her roots. She has life’s essence in her arms that tightly hold herself that she alone knows — that cradle her in her wait.
Patience.
Without hesitation, she reminds us gently and visibly that she has been here all along.
Persistence.
As she stretches her arms out slowly, she brings in all that’s laid in waiting and slowly begins to let herself be nourished to bloom, to unfold. Color immediately before our eyes returns to her, an unmasking of her brilliance as her roots begins to soften into being alive again. Really alive.
Resurrection.
And here she is now, no longer in the slumber of quiet witness — now a shining, clear centerpiece of the life that’s been around her.
Now we get to witness her for a while. ❤️
She has been dormant for 5 months. These are pictures of her 12-hour transformation back to life.
Joy’s Kitchen recovers 2000-6000 pounds of food daily (6 days a week) to feed an average of 5000 families a month in Jefferson County and surrounding areas. At the root of all we do is the equipment that recovers the food on routes each morning.
Truck was stolen.
In January, we had major blows to our operations with the food trailer that had to have major repairs to get back on the road and a few days later our main truck was stolen from the church parking lot. It was recovered, sent for repair, and stolen again. But…
We kept going.
We have used SUVs and a different truck to keep going, but their use is not sustainable long-term. Our main truck will have to be replaced. We have a generous donor that has offered to match the first $6,000 of community support towards the purchase of a new (used) truck.
We still need help.
You can help today! We have been feeding folks now for 9 years and look forward to showing up in tangible ways for our community for years to come.
Hunger doesn’t need to be a problem.
This is a big task and we strive to enable open food access to all — but we need to get it there with your help. The way we work is to gather food that would otherwise go to waste. We rely on volunteers and donations. The good we can do for the community is massive. We are frugal and efficient with our resources, but this has stretched us thin.
Please donate.
If you are on Facebook we have a donor matching offer here, or if not then please donate here.