Marie’s Special Dinner

My name is Caroline and I live alone. I have a black lab named Gracie who shares her life with me and I am very grateful to have her. She understands me and I adore her.
I have made peace with myself. I accept that I am no longer young. Of course, I would still like to lose about ten pounds and find that elusive hairdresser who could create the perfect cut for my gray hair. But basically I have learned to accept my body and my hair as beautiful. My style is uncluttered, simple, and comfortable. I like it that way.

My friends, the boomer girls, are my extended family. We accept each other unconditionally and treasure the time we spend together. We take the time to nurture our friendship because we value each other. If I am having a rough day, there will be a funny email to make me laugh. I count on Claire to share good books and movies with me. On a rainy day, there is nothing better than having a conversation with Bella over the perfect cup of green tea. Leslie will be the first to send me a bouquet of flowers to brighten my dining table. One of my favorite ways of showing love is to prepare a delicious and wholesome meal for my friends. Cooking is my passion.

I recently prepared just such a meal for all of us to celebrate the joyful news that the lump Marie detected in her breast turned out to be benign. I know that many of you know exactly what I am talking about. Nothing seems right in your world until you finally get the results of those tests, does it? I knew it would have to be an extra special dinner. And it was.

I made a marinated goat cheese with fresh tomatoes to serve with our first bottle of wine. Then we shared another over pan-roasted salmon with burgundy-rosemary butter. We laughed, we cried, and we hugged over coffee. Good food and good friends go together.