Yearning For Hot Milk Toast

For me, one of the interesting things about passing through these health challenges is how much it makes we yearn for the days when I was little. In those days when I was sick, Mother made everything better. I don’t know what your mother did—all mother’s do their own thing—but mine would make me a bowl of hot bread and milk. To this day, I love the sight, the smell, and the taste of hot milk toast. I can close my eyes and smell the sweet savor. I can see the pieces of toasted bread bobbing as Mom puts the tray in front of me. I can see the swirls of gold from little dabs of butter melting atop the milk. And on top of it all, float tiny specks of salt and pepper. I loved the hot bread and milk. It soothed. It nurtured. It healed. And as I struggle to be strong again, I find myself wanting to be the little girl—the one whose mother brought healing comfort in the form of hot milk toast.

This yearning made me think of something else. We often discuss the reasons God lets us pass through adversity in this life. It makes us strong. It teaches us to depend on Him. It is necessary for our eternal progression. It lets us serve others. It lets others serve us. It teaches us patience and faith. All those are good reasons, but today I think one of the most important reasons God lets us experience adversity in mortality is so that we’ll be homesick for Him.