Season of Sharing and Thanks

Today my friend brought me a lovely home made flan. Lovely, delicious creation it was. Flan is one of my favorite desserts and this one was one of the best I have ever had. I started to think of how nice it was to have this given to me for me and my family to enjoy and how this is the season of sharing and thanks.

It's been a tough few weeks for me. My home was burglarized and that creates a huge amount of problems in it's aftermath; but everyone is safe and stuff is just stuff. I also found out that my dear friend, John, who has been fighting cancer for about 4-5 years now is heading into the end of his journey. He was always a food and wine man, however, the last few years he has been a devout vegetarian and has perfected his meditations. It saddens me that I will soon lose my best friend, concert buddy, confidante, debater, baseball game companion, and one of the best boyfriends I ever had. Oh, and a pain in the ass, too. But so am I, so we made a good pair. But I digress...

From the day I met John (I saw him across a lobby and said to myself "I want him!" I think I may have even pointed , hehehe) we always had something to talk about. We both were from Texas but lived in NYC. We both were in the hotel business (however, I was in college studying to be a nurse when I met him.) John LOVED wine and good food. We had so many wonderful meals together, at so many unlikely places, from roadside stands to 5 star restaurants. He turned me onto things, and I him. Back and forth, back and forth, we were, about everything. Music (he never could stump me, oh how he would try! Teehee), wine, food, world events, views on life. Passionate is definitely a word that would describe our relationship. But with passion comes good and bad. Argue? Uh, yes. Do anything for each other? Of course!

One debate we would often have is the topic of the taco. John was always cooking something, most mornings it was some sort of taco. Most evenings it was some sort of taco. I used to complain "Can we have something other than a taco?" John would take great offense to this since he saw every taco he made as a work of art, each different from the one before. John would ooo and ahhh over his tacos and I would just say uh, huh and eat them. It was almost a dance. He would use what ever delightful thing he had cooked recently as the innards to these tacos so, of course, he was impressed with them! And I must admit, they were darned good. Not that I would let on....

The last time I saw John, he came to visit me in July and we went to an Orioles game. He took pictures as he always does and I played handy assistant. It was wonderful; felt like I was wearing an old pair of favorite jeans. Whenever we would visit, the past year or so, we haven't really debated much. We share, he gives me "looks," I give him the "rolling of eyes," and we both knew that time was limited. As I write this, I tear up, fighting back the thought of what a loss I am about to endure. Who will I share with in the way only we can? The answer is: No one and everyone.

In this season of sharing and thanks, I give thanks for my friend John and all the wonderful memories I will have forever. I give thanks for all my amazing friends and all the experiences I have with them. And when I was presented with that beautiful flan today, I was reminded that sharing amongst friends is something that never stops......

OK, that's it for now. Just felt like sharing.....

Nicole