Didn't She Say Something About Becoming A Big Sister?

What feels like half a century ago I signed up to become a Big Sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters. After the screening process I was accepted (yeah!) and recently I was contacted finally with a potential match. I know very little about her, just her age (9 yo), she doesn't have her mom in her life, and her dad is disabled. The big interview/meeting day is March 30th when she gets out of school for the day. I was told she has a weight problem and is teased at school.

As much as I'd like to count my chickens before they are even laid as eggs, I have learned to keep a realistic outlook about such things that tend to make me very excited. In my heart of hearts I hope this is the Little I am to be paired with, and that we'll form a lifetime friendship, be in each others lives for quite awhile. Much will have to depend on if our personalities match.

An odd thing about myself that I have come to know is that I generally gravitate toward people with weight problems. I've never had skinny friends. The reason being is that a skinny person has no desire to explore the realm of culinary arts, nor do they care to eat, and to me food is one of the best things in life.

I have identified why I am fond of food. It is twofold. First, making food and sharing food with others is a way of bonding, of sharing sustenance and of giving love, affection, and that warm feeling inside. Second, I've had prolonged bouts of not being allowed to eat. The doctors called this "bowel rest". I think when the body is deliberately starved it triggers an instinct to want to eat, eat, eat to make up for lost calories. I do receive pleasure both from making food for others and in eating good food.

Which brings up a concern I have. How do I address in a positive, healthy way regarding the Little's weight problem? I know I will need to find out if she is eating poorly because her family situation is financially limited. Poorer people tend to eat poor quality foods, or have the resources for making a lot of homemade meals from scratch. She may also not have the resources for physical exercise. So much left unanswered at this time that I'd be making wild-ass assumptions. Best to wait and see.

Meanwhile...there is so much I long to share that I think I'll overwhelm her. I need to recall how I was at 9 yo. What did I think about, what was I interested in, and how did I view the world? There is so much I can show her, allow her to experience, and I think it all hinges on her willingness to be a co-explorer and co-experiencer with me.