Something has happened this season that I wasn't expecting. I notice that no matter how monochrome gray my Michigan can be right now, no matter how dark comes the 5:00 p.m. hour, my spirit is not ... down. Last few years, it's felt like a Herculean effort to keep the tears from flowing at every encounter of nostalgia (there are many, aren't there), mostly to do with the long grieving of losing my mother in 2020 (Dad too, now 20+ years).
The unexpected: a newfound gratitude. One of the most touching highlights of Thanksgiving was seeing this, the Chevrolet holiday ad. My sister pulled me aside mid turkey-and-grapeleaves to play it for me. It's about memories, and memory itself (and of course, cars). I was struck by so many emotions (our mother had dementia), and realized something for the first time: how grateful I am not just to have so many happy memories, but that they are with me with such clarity. They are a comfort. The ability to tap into our memories can be a blessing (and I know not always), a gift that oddly helps us move forward and heal while looking back and cherishing.
"Gratitude turns what we have into enough." ~ Aesop
In the world of my recipe and shop sites, the building continues! Watch for collections for Christmas cooking and baking, and special things for gifting that will include daily specials for the next 12 days.
Part of the building is revisiting the many, many recipes and stories from my early blogging years and making some updates to provide more how-to info and some snappy new photos. Case in point, a recipe that is top of mind the moment the calendar turns to December: my mother's Coconut Date Balls. Really they are my grandmother's, and no doubt my mom must have made them the way we all do: to call on the love she wanted to feel in connection to her mother and keep her traditions alive. But also because they are incredibly delicious!! Both of their writing is on the handwritten recipe. Should I add mine, too?
In the shop, things are a hubbub--this is a nice time to stock the pantry for the cooking and baking ahead. Beautiful gifts are making their way to your people every day (thanks so much! It's an honor!) as you gift with great taste, and a taste of Lebanese hospitality, with the cooking kits, sets, spices, olive oil, baklawa, confections, and more.
May the month ahead bring you the comfort of any treasured memories you have, and the making of many more.
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