Yesterday we drove to Norwalk, Ohio to attend the visitation of a friend's older brother who died a couple days ago from a massive heart attack as he drove home from visiting his mother who is dying of cancer. Her time on this earth isn't much longer and the family will be planning another funeral within the week. Talk about a double gut punch. Wow. Our friend's brother was a husband, father, grandpa, a well-loved high school basketball coach and the neighborhood grandpa - an all around good guy. The funeral home's parking lot was packed and overflow parking went across the street to the Masonic Center. The amount of people at this visitation was a testament to how well-loved this man was.
These two sudden and unexpected events show the fragility and unexpected turns life takes.
"Yesterday is history,
Tomorrow is a mystery,
Today is a gift.
That’s why we call it the present."
Unwrap each daily gift with gratitude.
My mom loved pretty things and she loved to collect them. When her dementia forced the decision to move her into assisted living, my siblings and I spent almost two years going through her collections, figuring out who would take what, what we could sell, and what we could donate before we had to sell her home.
My parents loved Waterford crystal and had a lovely collection that sat in a big china cabinet. It was pretty to look at and that's where it stayed. It wasn't used that much, just for special occasions, because it might get chipped or broken with everyday use.
Over the past few years, I have been using the pretty things that belonged to my mom and the things that I have collected - the silver, the embroidered cloth napkins, quilts, pottery, and the Waterford crystal - and not just for special occasions. These items are meant to be enjoyed and loved and will serve their purpose as they were intended to do. There is a joy and satisfaction in using what's in the cupboards, bringing back memories as well as making them.
Cheers to Christmas 2025 and hello 2026.
Growing up, I don't remember having pork and sauerkraut or other good luck foods for the New Year's Day meal. In college, where Todd and I met, he talked about pork and sauerkraut for New Year's and how he liked to mix the sauerkraut in his mashed potatoes. When we got married, I started our New Year's meal tradition and it was the same as his family's: pork, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes. Back in those days, I subscribed to a magazine, Southern Living, and one year, an article discussed a traditional Southern New Year's meal. That meal included Hoppin' John.
What a fun name! I was curious and laughed upon discovering one of the ingredients was black-eyed peas.
My family moved a lot. One of the places I lived was Owensboro, Kentucky, and once a week school lunches included black-eyed peas. I had never seen black-eyed peas but all my classmates were eating them so they must be good...right? I took a bite. Ew. They tasted like dirt. There was a squirt bottle filled with ketchup on the table and someone said, "Put ketchup on them. They'll taste better." I took the bottle, gave it a squeeze, and pfffftttt. It was empty. I quickly learned that on black-eyed pea day, sit as close to the ketchup bottle as possible. Doused with ketchup they didn't taste too bad. Fast forward to today, Hoppin' John has been part of our January 1 celebration for many years.
Traditionally paired with collard greens and cornbread, black-eyed peas are a staple New Year’s good luck food. The peas symbolize coins. Cooked with rice and pork, black-eyed peas become Hoppin’ John, a popular way to consume this New Year’s Day good luck food. According to history.com, "the moniker "Hoppin' John" likely comes from English speakers' mispronunciation of the French dish pois pigeons. Pois pigeons (French for pigeon peas) are a type of legume used in many cuisines. "Pois" (peas) is pronounced like "pwa", while "pigeon" (the bird) is pronounced in French as “pee-zhon." Use your best French accent and say it! It does resemble Hoppin' John.
