Wonderful to hear from y ou again, Maud! I am so happy you liked this post. I think I will see it now as one of my favorites. I love the idea that you wanted to cook a meal for your family after reading it. Inspiration a la Al Sexton!
Soon your grandson will be making your dad’s meatloaf. He left your family a legacy of love and care. I think it’s a satisfying meal, as much as sleep, that knits up the raveled sleeve of care.
Another beautiful read, and one that can be appreciated on multiple levels–cooking as an expression of love, as your Dad's valiant effort to infuse normalcy as a measure against familial strife, and perhaps most poignant, as an illustration of how resilience (and hard-won psychological insight!) can temper the impact of trauma. That you were able to integrate this loving/fraught childhood experience successfully, which then allowed you to create a cherished tradition with your boys, is indeed a terrific story of healing and hope. Kudos!
Linda, I was smiling the entire time I read this. It is so good to get to know you more, through your writing and especially now knowing a bit more about your father and Nicholas.
Food always seems to bring people together. I remember learning, when I was in graduate school studying to become a school counselor, that family dinners are so important that kids who eat at the table with their families at least once a week (we do it nightly)--no technology allowed--end up with fewer behavior issues at school, better grades, less depression and anxiety! It's incredible what twenty or thirty minutes of time to gather around a meal at the table will do.
I am reminded how much we need each other, and how much more we are nourished by the conversation than the meal sometimes.
Thanks for sharing these great photos and the recipe, too! My husband loves hollandaise sauce.
Jeannie I am so glad you appreciated this particular post. It was a great joy to write it. I miss my Dad a lot but bringing him to my readers keeps him alive right down to the very core of my being.
Such a beautiful post, Linda! Your dad's presence in this piece is so lovely, as is the presence of your grandchild, cooking with you even at the age of five.
Oh Harriet, I'm so happy to be back in touch with you. It's wonderful to hear that the post succeeded in bring forth my Dad's spirit. That's just what I was aiming for!
What a lovely tribute to your father and the tradition you and your son have passed down! Very uplifting, and it made me want to immediately cook a meal for my family.
Wonderful to hear from y ou again, Maud! I am so happy you liked this post. I think I will see it now as one of my favorites. I love the idea that you wanted to cook a meal for your family after reading it. Inspiration a la Al Sexton!
Soon your grandson will be making your dad’s meatloaf. He left your family a legacy of love and care. I think it’s a satisfying meal, as much as sleep, that knits up the raveled sleeve of care.
Oh, Rona! How right you are. Love the idea of him making Dad's meatloaf!
Get that recipe down, Linda.
Linda,
Another beautiful read, and one that can be appreciated on multiple levels–cooking as an expression of love, as your Dad's valiant effort to infuse normalcy as a measure against familial strife, and perhaps most poignant, as an illustration of how resilience (and hard-won psychological insight!) can temper the impact of trauma. That you were able to integrate this loving/fraught childhood experience successfully, which then allowed you to create a cherished tradition with your boys, is indeed a terrific story of healing and hope. Kudos!
Hey Terry, your words are so wise! They make me realise what I have actually managed to pull off. Thanks for letting me see myself.
Linda, I was smiling the entire time I read this. It is so good to get to know you more, through your writing and especially now knowing a bit more about your father and Nicholas.
Food always seems to bring people together. I remember learning, when I was in graduate school studying to become a school counselor, that family dinners are so important that kids who eat at the table with their families at least once a week (we do it nightly)--no technology allowed--end up with fewer behavior issues at school, better grades, less depression and anxiety! It's incredible what twenty or thirty minutes of time to gather around a meal at the table will do.
I am reminded how much we need each other, and how much more we are nourished by the conversation than the meal sometimes.
Thanks for sharing these great photos and the recipe, too! My husband loves hollandaise sauce.
Jeannie I am so glad you appreciated this particular post. It was a great joy to write it. I miss my Dad a lot but bringing him to my readers keeps him alive right down to the very core of my being.
Please share more about your dad with us! It was so tender.
Such a beautiful post, Linda! Your dad's presence in this piece is so lovely, as is the presence of your grandchild, cooking with you even at the age of five.
Oh Harriet, I'm so happy to be back in touch with you. It's wonderful to hear that the post succeeded in bring forth my Dad's spirit. That's just what I was aiming for!
What a lovely tribute to your father and the tradition you and your son have passed down! Very uplifting, and it made me want to immediately cook a meal for my family.