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You already know about the henna party ElJay threw for me. Then the women at the church I used to be a member of (and where we’re getting married) threw a party and all brought gifts from Worldly Goods, which is a store in Ames much like Ten Thousand Villages – they sell fair trade chocolate and coffee and handcrafts from around the world, they’re part of a network that helps the artisans to develop and market their work so that they can make a living and support their families. Lots of pottery and baskets and a dessert cookbook with recipes using fair trade ingredients (chocolate, coffee, and bananas, mostly). Oh, and a set of gorgeous wooden salad bowls.
Then my aunt gave a family shower to introduce Bob to extended family and my mom gave us an afghan that her mother had knitted and that Mom had been saving for my wedding shower. For the last ten years. It was the only present without a card on it, and when I asked who it was from Mom said, “You’ll know.” And I opened it and it was Grandma’s signature cable stitch afghan and I started to bawl. (So did ElJay, who was sitting next to me.)
Today the ladies at the churches I serve threw a shower for me. When they asked about it I suggested a recipe shower – that instead of buying gifts they could each bring their favorite recipes. They expanded on the theme. They brought recipes, and they brought samples of the finished dishes for a potluck, and they put together gift bags with ingredients and/or equipment to make the recipes. So the woman who brought her recipe for homemade salami packed a bag with all the spices needed to make it. Someone else brought a recipe for sticky rice with spicy dipping sauce and gave a bamboo rice basket, a bag of rice, and a little bag of Thai peppers for the sauce. The woman whose chocolate chip cookies are famous all over town brought that recipe and flour, sugar, and a giant bag of chocolate chips. Etcetera. Then they added up that there were 513 years of matrimonial experience in the room, so they each told me the most wonderful and most surprising thing about being married.
I have very cool and creative people in my life. I feel very blessed.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Wow, dkw. All of those showers sound amazing. The recipe shower sounded very interesting, especially. Congrats on all the booty.... that's in reference to the gifts. Posts: 822 | Registered: Jul 2001
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You know, I just have this image in my mind of Dana going through life as a bright spot, pouring out love and goodwill around her. Finally comes a time when her friends can hold up mirrors and reflect some of that back. Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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