heaven

It is a good thing to see a person loved and supported. This evening, a dozen adults gathered together to celebrate the life of a six year old. She had decided against having a party with little girl friends in favour of a party with "the adults that love me." We were invited to tell N what we appreciate about her as part of the gift giving time. It was very moving indeed to see that while we all notice and appreciate many of the same things, we each have special memories and particular things that we appreciate, given the uniquenss of our individual relationships with N. She listened patiently and attentively-- I think 'basking' might be the right word for it. The love in the room was palpable.

I'm quite confident we made a quality memory tonight. It was the kind of night you keep talking about, year after year. The love, the laughter, the ladybird stickers on every lapel (thanks to a four year old designer gal), the birthday crackers, the Tea Party theme cake-- It was all so perfect and real and ordinary and magical. The fresh, home-smoked salmon deserves special mention. Thanks to the collaborative effort of friends and neighbours, we all feasted on the most amazing smoked salmon I have ever eaten. I think, in fact, that the salmon tipped the whole thing over into the realm of 'a foretaste of heaven'. Yes, it was a glorious night. Thank heaven for the continued feasting made possible by memories of nights such as this.