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My heart smiles with sweet remembrance - Blessed Christmas Eve to All




It's Christmas Eve and I am excited for whatever the the day brings, time with my beloved, with family, the coming of the birth of Jesus and the blessings and grace that await each new day.  

I am also reflective with emotions and thoughts churning all about this morning,   

Perhaps sometime later today, if there is time I will share them.  

For now I will share this excerpt from my cookbook that I wrote to honor my parents and to bring Glory to God.  The picture was taken on Christmas Eve 2001, he was holding his first great-grandson Blake just over a month old.  It's the last picture of my dad, he went home to Glory the next morning.  This picture and the story that goes with it, is in the cookbook with the recipe for Cabbage and Beansa tradtional recipe that my family makes on Christmas Eve.

Yesterday, John and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen making several traditional dishes, using my nonna's old pizzella maker, a story in itself and making this dish too.  We ate late, a simple dinner of pan fried salmon with a helping of cabbage and beans, as close to simple home cooking as it gets after a long day of baking and cooking! 

It's that time of year, lots of baking and cooking happening.  And with it a time of gladness, witnessing the joy of the season in the eyes of the children around out, the newness for those celebrating the holiday together for the first time, old friendships, new friendships.  It is also a time of sadness and rememberance of those who are no longer with us, missing those who are not or can't be with us, circumstances that keep us apart from those we love that are beyond our control, so many different scenarios for as many different souls in the world, whatever your situation, your circumstance.   

My prayer for us all is that the grace and blessing of this beautiful season, no matter the tradition you celebrate, bring peace and deep joy to your heart.  That wherever you find yourself, that you are present to those around you and to the grace that always abounds and as the song says may there be peace on earth and good will towards all ( yes, its a line from a song and I changed it) but since it resonates in my heart I am sharing it!

Blessed last day of Advent, Merry Christmas and peace and blessings for the coming year,
With love, abondanza and always always joy in the journey,
Linda




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