Reflections on Healthy Ever After Event Series
A behind-the-scenes review of Raleigh City Farm's second "Healthy Ever After" dinner on October 27, 2019 from Mary Zucchino, friend of Raleigh City Farm and dinner host.
Our culture gathers around food for many occasions — some to celebrate, others to mourn. Healthy, nutritious food can fill a hunger pang or an emotional void. Whatever the occasion, food is usually present.
Raleigh City Farm recognizes this important role that food plays in our society. Providing fresh food from the farm has always been a priority. Bringing neighbors to the table to learn about this food is also important to the folks at the Raleigh City Farm. A few weeks ago, I saw this in action as Raleigh City Farm in partnership with the Jamie Kirk Hahn Fund held a continuation of Grief Fest weekend by inviting people from our community to the second Healthy Ever After Series where they could freely share their experience with grief while enjoying delicious food catered by Lao Lao Food Truck.
In addition to fellowship around food, national author and podcast star Nora Purmort McInerny spoke about the grieving process and how silence can speak more than words when “holding space” for a person to grieve the way they need to. Her overall theme was around love and resilience and allowing space for each person to grieve in their own way. Nora is a powerful and entertaining speaker. She had the crowd laughing and acknowledging grief as a universal experience at some point in everyone’s life. Her talk encouraged real conversation around a topic that many try to avoid.
As a holistic nurse, I believe that to “heal” does not necessarily mean “to cure”, but rather healing can be deeper than “a cure”. To heal in a holistic sense means to become balanced — body, mind, and spirit. Through communion with one another and having a wonderful speaker, the second Healthy Ever After event demonstrated “healing” in its true sense. Through food and conversation, we gathered and made our way towards being whole!
