chicken piccata
Author Inspirations

On Comfort

Xulon Press book, Ministries of The Holy Spirit, Comfort FoodWhat do chicken piccata, Xulon Press books and uncles have to do with each other? Well, before I get into that, I’d like to address the current conundrum of “comfort food”. As part of Foodie Month here at Xulon, I think it’s important to discuss this term and do it some justice. Let’s be honest, comfort food has gotten a bad rap in the past few years of the American “get fit” revolution. Now that everyone’s vegan, drinking smart water and ashamed if they don’t have a gym membership complete with Zumba classes, saying those two words has become completely taboo. Almost swearing.

Well, I am here to defend the phrase! I don’t condone the shameful behaviors associated with it— gorging on three tubs of ice cream all by yourself after a breakup or eating an entire pizza pie because you’re stressed at work. However, I’d like to point out that these behaviors are not all “comfort food” stands for. Taking comfort in food is not all bad, in fact, sometimes it is the only thing that can make a difference.

Two of my uncles have died this year, one on my mother’s side in February and the other on my father’s side three weeks ago. I was so busy working here at Xulon, taking care of a million details buying a new car and on top of it being strong for my siblings that I hadn’t even had the time to cry. A couple of my cousins volunteered to come over to my house on a weeknight, even though they live an hour away and need to be up early for work, just to bring me dinner. I’d had chicken piccata a million times in my life, but none like that. Their gesture made a world of difference for me at the time and we bonded in a way we don’t often have the time to do.

So here’s to comfort food, the blessing of family and the grace of God. If you’re looking for a message to help you through a time of loss, I suggest Ministries of the Holy Spirit by Pastor Colin K. Duncan. We hope that whatever experiences you may be having as summer begins, whether happy celebrations or solemn occasions, the simple things like good food or a good book can make them better. If you have any recommendations for either one, comment below!

avatar

Vanessa Correa is a Staff Editor at Xulon Press with a total of 10 years of publishing experience in diverse industries including journalism, academic publishing, social media and more. She is a native New Yorker and alumnus of the M.S. Publishing program at New York University. Her passion is translation—her family is from Puerto Rico and her aim is to ensure our authors receive the same high quality services for Spanish books, press releases and other materials as they do in English.

4 Comments on “On Comfort

  1. May God’s grace continue to comfort you in your trials. How gracious of God and your family to bring you his comfort.

    Also, is there a program I can get so I can type in Spanish on my computer. I’m teaching Spanish to my grandchildren. I speak, read, and write reasonably well in Spanish–at least on some subjects, but I have found limited resources for teaching Spanish to young children, so I have–in part–been writing my own. It is very frustrating having to keep inserting symbols into my Word program.

    1. Hello Bonnie,

      Thank you so much for your kind words. God truly is coming through for me continuously. To answer your question, I unfortunately would not be able to give any recommendations on linguistic software. Here at Xulon I rely on what I learned at home and a few key websites to ensure my conjugation is correct. All those variations are hard to remember! In the coming days I will ask some trusted individuals and if I find anything, I will definitely let you know.

  2. Dear Vanessa,

    Death is never easy to deal with but I am always amazed at God’s merciful grace. I just lost my father and brother in April28 and May 5…only 5 days apart and Saturday I lost my beloved dog Chelsea who was only 9 years old. I am so heart broken that they all went so close but the fact that I will see them all again is so wonderful and fills my heart with hope and love that our Father is so caring and loving toward us. In the midst of all this I’ve been writing a book…..Dogs Really Do Go to Heaven, A “Tail” to Lift your Heart! Imagine…I have to keep pressing in and get it finished to give many others hope that they too will one day see their pets in heaven again! My deepest condolences to your losses too.Just remember..we will all be together again one day in the most glorious place ever!!!

    1. JoAnne,

      I am blown away by your grace in this extraordinarily challenging stage of your life. I am genuinely blessed to read how you are able to remain focused on hope and heaven. I am also so happy to hear that you are writing a book because working here at Xulon I have seen firsthand how books affect people’s lives in the most poignant ways. You are on the right track; continue to rely on God and thank you so much for your empathy.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *