In a small way, I can share what Alan Levine, aka, @Cogdog, has been going through these past days after the death of his mom. Having lost my dad in March, I know the role that food, and the generosity of our communities and networks play in the path we travel known as death. Or grief. Or whatever.
I am very happy to join in today for Cookielove – a day of baking cookies and giving them away in honor of Alan’s mom. (See Blown Away By #Cookielove – CogDogBlog.) It turns out Alyce made cookies every Sunday and dispensed them to whomever was in need, or who had done a good turn for Alyce or others. (You can listen to her talk about it here.)
Today, wherever we are, we are baking cookies and giving them away in Alyce’s name and memory. A little community indicator. A culture of love. Reciprocity not to just one person, but out to the universe. Hey, you can bake and dispense as well. Share the love (and tag it #cookielove so Alan can feel the love.)
Like Alan, my global network of people I’ve met, and those I’ve never met (fondly known as my “imaginary friends” according to my husband) are always just an electron away. These are amazing people. They are looking out for us even when we don’t notice. They not only answer our questions and provoke our thinking, but they can and are emotionally connected to us, not just intellectually.
I’ll share the recipe in Alan’s Storybox, but suffice it to say, I did NOT follow the recipe’s direction (I considered others here…). The cookies are full of multiple grains (locally grown and ground whole wheat, oatmeal bran, flaxseed meal) fiber, butter and chocolate. Let’s keep our food balanced right? So some butter and chocolate to soothe, some fiber and grains to make us strong (and the cookies with enough chew and crunch).
We can’t erase the hole that is left when someone we loves dies, but we can continue to embrace the sweetness of life.