{"id":12077,"date":"2013-05-12T22:38:08","date_gmt":"2013-05-13T05:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chefmorgan.com\/?p=12077"},"modified":"2013-05-13T00:21:56","modified_gmt":"2013-05-13T07:21:56","slug":"mothers-day-2013-and-cherry-granita","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chefmorgan.com\/engine\/mothers-day-2013-and-cherry-granita","title":{"rendered":"Mother’s Day 2013 and cherry granita"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"chef<\/p>\n

 Mother\u2019s Day 2013 <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

speak carefully and carry a positive message <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 cherry granita<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This week I had my first taste of an \u201cempty nest.\u201d <\/span>My eldest, now a \u201ctween,\u201d visited Boston with her fifth grade class for a week. Her healthy separation from me and her eagerness to see the world and rely on her peers in a new way is bittersweet. <\/span>Every year I write a Mother\u2019s Day personal \u201crecipe\u201d for them. This year’s recipe <\/span>was not only inspired by their rapid coming of age, but by two recent events. <\/span>The first was the passing of our family matriarch (this year was the first time in our lives we did not celebrate her birthday and Mother\u2019s Day jointly (at least, with her present)). The second was our Spring Break trip to Washington D.C. Both events reminded me of the importance of words, spoken, and unspoken. This week\u2019s simple pleasure,<\/span> <\/i>and my annual Mother’s Day recipe for them, <\/i><\/span><\/span>is a humble recipe for speaking with a little cherry granita<\/span><\/em> on top (recipe below).<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"chef<\/p>\n

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Ava and Julia,<\/span><\/p>\n

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to speak or not to speak that<\/em> is the first question<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Your  Great-Grandmother was the embodiment of many, many lovely things. Unfailingly supportive, encouraging, loving, and thoughtfully spoken. Not one person who ever met her disliked her. No one could speak unkindly about her. <\/span><\/p>\n

She was raised on a small farm in Illinois. She never graduated from High School. She never sought financial success or personal recognition. She was an old soul with a kind heart. She knew the value of things that mattered and the trivial nature of the things that do not. She touched the lives of many in her own way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your Great-Grandmother carefully weighed the impact of her comments and advice before she spoke. She approached people with sincerity. She was not confrontational, judgmental, or boastful. Being \u201cright\u201d was not important. Resolving conflict and comforting those who needed her took precedence. Of the many wise things she would say, s<\/span>he would always warn that:<\/span> \u201cOnce you say the words you can never take them back.\u201d<\/span> When I was a lawyer, we used to say that you<\/span> \u201ccannot un-ring the bell once it was rung.\u201d <\/span>It is the same principle and Great-Grandma never had to go to law school to learn that lesson. Great-Grandma knew the power of words. <\/span>You were blessed to have a Great-Grandmother and even more fortunate to have a Great-Grandmother who was a wise, strong woman and I hope that the examples of her life will stay with you all of yours.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"chef<\/p>\n

 the words and the message you are sending is the second question <\/strong><\/span>
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In Washington D.C.  we visited the Lincoln Memorial and stood at the feet of the seated statue of Abraham Lincoln. Surrounded by a great man\u2019s words etched in stone – The Gettysburg Address on the left of us and Lincoln\u2019s Second Inaugural Address on the right — I thought of the power of one person’s words.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"chef<\/p>\n

Although the Civil War was soon to end in the Union\u2019s favor, in his Second Inaugural Address Lincoln did not celebrate nor seek to punish the South. Rather, his words encouraged inclusion, restoration, and the rebuilding of a unified nation. It would have been easy for him to give the opposite message. He could have sought to make the South suffer further or celebrate the success of the Union. However, he did not. Rather, Lincoln was clear: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith malice toward none with charity for all<\/span> with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation\u2019s wounds to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.<\/em>\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

It was a message of optimistic, encouragement, inclusion, forgiveness, and positive strength. It is a message that sought to heal a nation then. Lincoln’s positive words are applicable today.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"chef<\/p>\n

On the steps in front of Abraham Lincoln\u2019s statue is where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historical \u201cI have a Dream<\/em>\u201d speech on August 28, 1963 after leading the March on Washington. Martin Luther King, Jr.\u2018s message was similar to Lincoln\u2019s in many ways. Dr. King advocated equal treatment and opportunity, hope, and advancement without revenge, punishment, or violence: <\/span><\/p>\n

 \u201cLet us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.\u201d <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

It would have been so easy to have gone the other way…it would have been understandable. However, he did not. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words remain applicable and inspirational today. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"chef<\/p>\n

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I reference these three individuals this week because I have been thinking about one of my challenges as a  mother and that is teaching you about speaking (the words you say, when you should not say anything, thinking before you speak…). Manners and polite words are the easy part. How to address your elders and how to speak respectfully are not difficult either. However, you are at an age where your skills of communication are being developed and tested not only on an academic level but on a social level (which seems to affect your day even more at this age). How do you comfort a friend or give them advice?  When you are disappointed or angry at your friend, what do you say and when? What do you say when others are unkind to you and hurt your feelings?  What do you say if you witness things that are wrong or unfair? How do you handle successes and defeats?  It is different for you now. You are facing more mature situations. You are growing up. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"chef<\/p>\n

\"chef<\/span><\/p>\n

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Great-Grandma influenced our lives on a personal, familiar level. In contrast, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Lincoln influenced our lives on an indirect, historical level. There are fundamental lessons to learn from all three of these individuals. So, this year is a recipe for speaking and as you both approach the age where the language of your peers takes on a new significance, debate teams and social interaction are more relevant than before, and you develop your own voice and will test that voice out on your friends and your family, here is my humble recipe for speaking inspired by these three individuals:<\/span><\/p>\n