Comfort

Why is it when something bad happens in life, people often respond with food? Food is a language we all understand. You make a casserole when someone passes away.
Casseroles = comfort seems to be a gesture we extend to those suffering ~ from an illness, a death in the family, a sadness. I think part of it is that we know we cannot fix the situation or problem for our friend, but we can comfort them in a wordless way with food. In a time when we feel helpless, we can actually make that casserole and feel we have done something. Food is such a basic element to life, a reminder of our need for nourishment even when our hearts are aching or our bodies are broken. It has healing power for both the person who made the food and the person receiving it. We can all take comfort in that fact.