Lately, I’ve been thinking about something my son told me when he was a teenager. “Mom, you are not very warm and fuzzy, but that’s okay. You show your love through food.” My heart filled with joy to know that he felt love’s presence in the food I made for him. I was always so happy when his friends would drop by with their huge appetites and I could host them with yummy treats. We can’t see love but we sure can taste it!
Isn’t love wonderful? Love circulates and flows like water, seeps into every nook and cranny and transforms to survive in every environmental condition. Ice, streams, rivers, vast oceans, steam, rain, snowflakes and snowcapped mountains. Love descends deep into the dark recesses of the earth and reaches up toward the sun in the sky. She falls back down to the earth again in a never ending cycle of creative beauty and genius. Where water is, there is love. Love shares and circulates.
For example, last December I saw a post on Facebook by Bob Durham and Sandra Myers in Condon. They had grown Hubbard squash in their garden and wanted to share the extra. I fired up Miss Daisy, my 1985 Ford diesel pickup, and drove on a sheet of ice that coated the landscape with shimmering, reflective light. We introduced ourselves and I received their beautiful gift. Back home, the squash sat on the kitchen floor for about a week until I was finished admiring it. Then in the interest of efficiency, because the squash was the size of a basketball, I chopped it up with my axe and roasted it in the oven for a couple of hours at 400⁰. After it cooled, I pureed the squash and put it into pint containers, eight in all.
A few days later, on a crisp and sunny day, I strolled over to my friend Ellie’s house and left a container on her front porch. Surprise! Then, soon after, she texted me and requested that I drop by for a visit – she had a little something to share with me. I walked in and she handed me six big, gorgeous muffins, made from the squash! I was thrilled and my heart was warmed by the generosity of her spirit.
I walked home, made a beeline to the kitchen, toasted the muffins with butter, smeared them with honey and shared the treat with those I love. Together, we savored a few moments of pure joy. This Valentine’s Day, open your heart and share a gift of food. Love tastes fabulous! Love is FUN! Love is incredibly warm and fuzzy! You can give without love, but you can’t love without giving. Or receiving!