“Mom? Dad? Is Santa real?” Here’s a summary of what was actually a much more clumsy, clunky and long-winded reply. We can only wish our reply was this succinct. “Yes. Yes he is. He is real, he is real in a lot of different ways and forms. He’s a spirit, an elf, a concept. He is generosity and Love and giving. He is wonder and magic. We can all be Santa, we all keep him strong. We do it…
“Never say Goodbye Brooks. Goodbye is permanent. Say ‘bye’ or say ‘so long’. Saying goodbye means you will never see that person again. You’ll be seeing me again. Won’t you?” “Yes Grandpa. I won’t say goodbye anymore.” I was six years old when my Grandpa taught me that lesson. It’s one of those lessons that never stopped following me. It stuck with me and never let go. It’s one of those lessons that helped shape me into what I am…
I was busy, I was focused. I was loading up the van for Annie’s Farmers Market booth. My to-do list was best expressed in chapters that day. “Here Hun! Here’s the big bin of crayons, here’s a coloring book” (and she was no longer underfoot). I grabbed another crate of jars and stacked it in the van. The whole time, I was muttering to myself about how heavy jam and pickled products are. Plus I was thinking about the two…
Have you ever heard of Alice Roosevelt Longworth? She was the only Daughter of President Teddy Roosevelt and his first wife Alice. She was stubborn, defiant rebellious and deviously intelligent. Teddy once caught her smoking, “You are forbidden from smoking under my roof!” Hours later, he found her smoking . . .on top of the Roof. She is credited with the phrase “If you can’t say something good about someone, come sit right here by me.” In an era where…
It was strawberry season, Annie brought eighty pounds of strawberries home and we waited. Friends showed up, then more friends, then family appeared. Together we sat around an outdoor table and hulled all of those strawberries so that Annie could turn them all into a variety of different gourmet jams. We celebrated our accomplishments afterward with slow cooked pork sandwiches and cocktails. I slipped away during a lull in the conversation to look out at the empty lot next to…
“Years ago a couple came into [the French Laundry]. They said, “Thomas, this reminds me of –” and they gave a very emotional description of an experience they had at a restaurant in France. And it’s about the memories we have –at the end of the day it’s our memories that we hold near and dear to us.” –Thomas Keller That’s really it. Isn’t it? There can be as many reasons why people eat and why they cook as there…
I remember her first day of first grade. She wanted to make an impression that day–she wanted to wear her “gold” boots, they were a size too big but she was very proud of them. We all walked her to school that morning. Her aunt got her a backpack, a huge backpack with a garish purple (of course) design, her initials stitched in. She was so proud, so bold, she spoke in such platitudes of all the things she was…
A couple days ago, Lydia hurt a friend’s feelings by telling her friend that she likes a different friend more than her. That is an awkward sentence. Here’s a summary: Lyd told Friend A that she likes Friend B more than Friend A. Friend A had hurt feelings over it. After a brief intervention from their teacher, Lydia was in tears and was sob-croaking out her apology. Our daughter has a sweet and Loving heart and I am absolutely certain…
It was Christmas Eve, “I just want to look at them one more time” she said as I put on my pajamas. We crept into the girls’ room. Regina had rolled out of her blanket, I watched Annie tuck the blanket back around her. Reg barely stirred. I watched her then turn around and stroke a lock of hair out of Lyd’s face, she haphazardly swatted at Annie’s hand and rolled over, she never stopped snoring. We stood back and…
Annie was in the kitchen canning. This meant I was on daughter duty. It’s a lot like being a soccer goalie. The girls are represented as the soccer balls, and the goal is the kitchen. I post myself in front of the kitchen entrance and I just keep throwing them back into play. After a while their fascination with whatever Annie is doing dies out and they make themselves content in the living room. This gives me a chance to…