There is Always Something to Celebrate, 4th of July Musings From My Past

I, like many of you, are probably cleaning out closets, and doing indoor activities to beat the sweltering heat wave we are experiencing.  On this 4th of July 250th anniversary, I drifted back to a time when the world liked us ( America).

I came upon a birthday card sent to my father. It was from Bijou ( meaning Jewel), his  beloved co -worker. Her full name was Bijou Iadeluca.  Bijou was a stout woman who sported a pompadour hairstyle, and  had dark skin with freckles. Her family was from Brittany and her French accent was very heavy.  I looked up to her like she was my personal angel.  She came to this country and married an Italian man, whom I never met. Her home was filled with  antiques and flowery wallpaper which I thought was “very French.”  The  kitchen was from another time filled with pottery, and European cookware. I was in heaven. I should note that I don’t believe my mother was jealous. Bijou was family and frequented our family holidays.

A few years ago I  purchased two shot glasses from a thrift store but could never seem to place them as shot glasses until today. They are small, narrow, and have a handle. These are the exact glasses that Bijou filled with cherries in cognac during a visit with my parents.  I thought it would make me drunk, but it didn’t. I felt very grown up and very French. This memory flooded my  senses to the point where I could actually taste it.  How could this stored memory be in the deepest recesses of my heart, and memory, unbeknownst to me; only be revealed at this exact moment? I believe body  memory recall is real. There was something magical afoot today, one of life’s mysteries, a gift  whose revelation was sealed until today.

One day, while we were visiting, she  took me into her kitchen and taught me  how to make the most beautiful presenting sweet cheese dessert “Couer a le Creme” ( Heart of the cream). Made in a heart shaped mold, it has holes so the liquid from the cheese can drip out. It leaves a soft but firm, white heart that when adorned with fresh strawberries, looks like a jeweled necklace. Those molds are my greatest treasure.  I have made it ever since as a tribute to her.

Several years later Bijou became sick with cancer. This was the very first opportunity for me to tune into her needs, and what she could digest after her rounds of chemo. She loved Spanakopita, and I learned from the best, my Greek cousins. This was my first introduction to the healing power of food.  It is not just the food that nourishes us, but our essence infused.  It is palpable.

When Bijou passed she left me her recipes, handwritten Coq Au Vin which remains on my refrigerator to this day. Somehow, this day was  meant to be, at a place in time where as I mentioned in the beginning,  America is not in a good place. Despite the current climate, there is still cause to celebrate. I know this because this year I  partnered with a lovely woman in New York. The  three week challenge, that became a year of weekly learning was to find joy, whether it exists in memories, or holidays, or the joy of being alive.  Life will continue  and there will always be another reason for celebration. Embrace it. Happy 4th of July!