"They eat dog food." #8 & 9 250 USA: Aunt Joanne and Ed

"They eat dog food."

That's what Aunt Joanne told me on the phone. She and Ed visit the food bank, then deliver it to those who need it most.

Aunt Joanne is an aunt by love, not by blood. She has the biggest heart and will go above and beyond for a person in need. But she doesn't pull any punches and says it like it is.

She had a humbling start in an orphanage.

And has overcome more than most will know.

She held me when I was still in diapers, not long after I was born.
When I contacted her about the 250 USA, I had no idea what she and Ed were doing to give back. As I prepared for this, I knew I needed to share this now.

She told me about delivering food to people who were eating dog food to survive because things became so destitute. Later, she told me about handing a bag of canned salmon to a homeless man — asking his permission first — and watching him cry.

That's who I was sitting across from. I didn't know it until now. Sometime around the holidays last year, I'd already done a 250 USA with them once before, without realizing what it was. I also did not realize the ways they give back until this visit.
I played them a few songs. When I asked if they felt uplifted, they said it felt like their own personal concert. Aunt Joanne's eyes closed more than once — a small break from the weight of the day-to-day.

During one of the songs — a love song — I could see her eyes were closed. She later shared what she'd seen: me, younger, standing in a beautiful natural place, with a woman beside me who had auburn-brown hair. There was a sunflower field. She said I was pouring my love into her.

I didn't think much of it in the moment. But driving home, I passed an actual sunflower field — something I hadn't expected, hadn't planned a route toward, and don't recall ever really noticing on that road before.
I don't know what it means, if it means anything at all. I only know it happened, in that order, on that day.

250 USA #8 and #9: Aunt Joanne and Ed.

Somewhere in these 250, there's a moment meant for you.

Side notes: When Aunt Joanne saw my "Stay True to Your Roots" shirt, she lit up. "I want that shirt!" she said — a way to honor her own Italian heritage. I didn't have her preferred style on hand (a V-neck), but one's on its way to her soon.

They both cook, too. Ed made sure I tried his delicious Chili with his own herbs. And Aunt Joanne made sure I tried her homemade chicken soup. Each bowl filled my stomach and warmed my heart and soul — just like this beautiful visit that I shall remember long after the 250 USA concludes.