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The earliest memory I have of my father is that of his lullabies which consisted of the same two songs every night, one of which was his national anthem! The next memory as I grew a little older is that of standing by the window sill waiting for him to come home from work and hand me his leftover roasted peanuts in a paper cup (which he would typically buy from the roadside vendor on his walk back from the bus stop). From that to the day when he visited me during my graduate school days and cooked me a meal with his own hands...the memories have multiplied and changed to varying degrees over the years but there is one aspect that has not altered one bit: my love for him.
There is a special bond that daughters share with their fathers. It's a relationship that is both the envy and pride of mothers. As little girls we look up to our father as our hero, our very own 'tall, dark and handsome' warrior. As we grow a bit older our vision changes and we see our fathers with admiration, love and respect. He becomes a source of motivation and inspiration. And finally as we step into the role of parenthood, it becomes increasingly clear how important that shoulder to sit on and the back to hang from is. Any man can be a father but it takes a certain special touch to be a 'dad'. Here's laying out the red carpet and a special black tie for the very best: the dads of this world. And a special thank you and I love you to mine...
Red velvet cupcakes were dressed in dark Ghirardelli cappuccino chocolate ganache frosting with white fondant specs to celebrate this special event. Happy Dad's Day!
I once came across a quote that read "The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no one. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present."
The words made perfect sense...and yet here I am who worries everyday about what the future will hold. Will I be able to control it or carve it to my needs and desires? Will I like what it has in store for me? How will I react to the misfortunes that come my way? The questions seem endless...and in pursuit of the answers I rarely enjoy the passing moment, the present. Perhaps it is for this reason that we carry gifts or 'presents' for people on their birthdays. It's a symbolic notion to show them that more often than not what's inside the box (our future life), yet to be unveiled, is a beautiful surprise. The excitement with which we open our presents should reflect the anticipation and excitement in our lives to greet the future. At times the 'box' holds things that we either do not like or did not want but eventually we get around to using the items somewhere, somehow...we should learn to do the same in life. When we come across the not-so-desirable events in life we need to make the best out of it. We need to find a purposeful use for it and then move on.
I salute the people who always have a smile on their faces and a song in their hearts and know how to live in the present moment...for there is no comparison to enjoying a gift that is in hand versus one that we may never get to open and look inside.
Saying cheers to a birthday with an edible 'present' was a mellow lemon cake with lemon custard, strawberries and butter-cream frosting.
A request for a special 'Minnie mouse and her friends' first year birthday cake for a little girl turned into some thoughtful insights on my part. I will write about the cake in a moment, but before I do I would like to ask you to define the word "happiness". The theme park where Minnie and her friends reside is termed as the 'happiest place on earth' or so says the marketing.
What is 'happiness'? The dictionary defines it as a state of well being and contentment. 'Contentment' is the key word here. When we are content we are at peace with ourselves and find very little reason for unrest or anxiety. However, human nature is very strange and this feeling of contentment rarely lasts a long time for most ordinary mortals. We are always looking for 'more' in everything and this in turn makes our state of happiness a moving target. The feeling vaporizes within a short few moments of its birth and we struggle to find it all over again. The constant pursuit of this feeling of satisfaction thus becomes a convoluted and turbulent facet of our lives and ends up robbing us of achieving a lasting happiness. Sometimes, we don't even know what would make us happy!
Is the degree of happiness measurable in money? I honestly don't know. Money can surely buy the kind of misery we seem to enjoy and provide us with security in life, but it cannot predict the future or ensure that things will certainly go the way I plan it to be. So then, how do we make happiness an inherent part of our lives? If you've ever visited the commercial 'happy place' which started this topic you will recall that there is indeed something magical about that land that makes a heart smile and dance. It's the feeling of love, warmth, good cheer and wellness being wished all around. The laughter of our children and the hugs all around leave us very content and satisfied. And it is this feeling of satisfaction that we must learn to nurture in our everyday way of life if we are to stay happy most of the time.
The cake in question was my first half sheet cake in a plain vanilla flavor. Filled with banana and vanilla pudding it was topped with butter-cream frosting and hand-molded sugar paste Disney characters. Here's wishing the smiling lil' Minnie (Siyona) a very happy one-derful birthday.
Sugar cookies with sugar pearls for a very sweet girl's first birthday treat.
