I was gifted a book tonight.
It is completely random. I did nothing to earn it except be born close to the giver’s birthday, which had been the extent of the contest for receiving the prize. It is a cookbook from which tonight’s recipe was taken (delicious by the way), that now was being lovingly passed on.
I should explain here that this was at my monthly bookclub meeting. And by bookclub, I mean a group of women who suggest books every month, then throw a dinner party with wine and talk about the book (or books) for five minutes.
There is no pretense with this club at all. We meet. We eat. We drink. We sometimes read. Books are what bring us together for the evening. It is divine.
I am a relative newcomer to the club. About a year and a half in, but with most of the members being friends for a decade or more. But within the timeframe of the 2.5 hours we are on someone's couch, or around a dining table or firepit, we have all known each other forever.
Topics are unique but universal. Tonight it ranged from Vietnam vets, to gardening tips, to bosses that make us crazy. We also talked about health issues, and deaths, and children. We talk sex. We talk politics. We talk art and literature and history. We could switch from talking and laughing about stolen car parts, to an upcoming surgery with a kind of grace that only comes from camaraderie and deep, deep affection. We have all had successes and failures. We have all had joys and heartaches. We have all known pain and survival. We notice each other for our clothes, or our make up, or our hair, and are quick to share what we have done and who helped us get that way. We give each other tips on where to get the best decomposed granite for our patio walkways, and where to buy the best warm scarves. For the suspended time crammed into the few hours on a Wednesday night, we are kindred, timeless.
So my promise and my plan, since I was gifted the cookbook (and to be honest, the entire lot of us are book hoarders) is that I would cook one of the recipes (maybe one that is already page marked, even) and share it online in our private chat group. If it is especially delicious, maybe I would bring it to the next month’s meeting and share it with the group.
When I am done with the book (which happens sometimes, even with our hoarder tendencies) I will pass it on. We do that in this group, because of course we do.
Thank you,sisters, I am grateful.
