I grew up in a family with two older brothers and a younger brother. With four constantly hungry growing boys this meant that my mother spent a great deal of time in the kitchen, cooking. This was a double labor of love for my mother because she grew up not learning how to cook. She had a secret ingredient, that was a big, I mean a really BIG, spoonful of Love into everything she cooked for us. My mother died when I was in fourth grade, but I still remember her as if it were yesterday.
She gave me one job to do and because I was exceedingly small in height I had limited ability in reaching the counter without standing on a kitchen chair. My job was to make the salad for the evening meal. I took my job very seriously and made sure that everything was exactly right. The salad was amazingly simple, thank God, nearly a whole head of romaine lettuce torn not cut, well washed of course and each leaf had to be patted dry with a cotton dish towel, 2 pre-cut Big Boy tomatoes, (they had to be pre-cut because I was not allowed to use a knife after cutting my finger just before dinner one night), several pre-cut green onions, and radishes if we had them. With all my ingredients set out around a large glass salad bowl I would put them in the bowl and slowly mix everything up with my hands. Then came the salad dressing my mother’s secret was to use at least 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise, which she combined in a small bowl with salt, pepper, and I think it also had garlic powder. I would use a spatula and turn this into the salad until it was all tossed perfect.
To this day I enjoy cooking and it brings me closer to my mother. I know that such a kind and wonderful person as my Mother has to be with God and that makes me happy. Yes, happy because we can still share something that is the love of God through our cooking together.
Where do I find God? I find It in my kitchen or wherever I may find myself cooking. Because I know that both my Mother and God are there to make sure I add my Mother’s secret ingredient – a BIG scoop of LOVE.