Little Things That Last

When I butter toast, I almost always think of John K, who once came to visit and put his buttered toast back in the machine for a little last heat. It came out sizzling and bubbly butter, chewy and delicious. While I don't always re-toast mine once buttered, I always think of him.  And I wonder if he realizes that such a tiny moment for all we've done together over the years would revisit me like that, so many a morning.

My pal Colleen had me over for dinner when I lived in California. She was pregnant and making one of her super healthy dinners.... And while I'd made asparagus many times, she said, "Look, instead of cutting of the bottoms before steaming, you just run your thumb up the stalk until it snaps naturally." 

In that moment I learned that the asparagus itself will let you know the point where the tough becomes tender. 

Now I grow asparagus and as I snap them off from the ground, or take them from where I store them to cook, I think of Colleen -I can see her kitchen, the apron she had wrapped around her belly, her glass of white wine on the counter next to the sink, and I see her hands snapping the asparagus ends all in an instant flash. 

My dear old friend Al Perry is with me every time my raspberry bush starts blooming. When I first posted photos of a handful on Facebook years ago, Al PM'd me to say, "Lots of water and fertilizer. Lots and lots."  

So I did.

He said it again the next year. So I did. And now, without him there to say it, I do. And I always will.

Al passed away last year, between growing seasons. But I think of Al with every single berry I grow, pick and eat. And I wonder, are they bigger, redder, sweeter because I'm doing what he told me to do? I chose to believe so, and often feel him smiling when I tend to the patch.

He sent those directives and I followed them without question. He never elaborated, no tales of how he knew or why, but I never doubted he was speaking from experience.

It's funny how someone can say something so small, and even benign, but it can become the thing that makes them live in your heart and mind for the rest of your days.

Good to remember that each of us can have such an impact with the simplest thing we share with another.