Getting to hang out with a dear friend and share a meal is a special part of the journey. Tonight I enjoyed a home cooked meal with Cate at her home. Even with the threat of winter weather and slick roads, I wanted to spend a couple of hours in the company of this cheerful, encouraging woman.
Cate prepared a wonderful dinner featuring a taco bar, Spanish rice and black beans. The spicy aroma greeted me as I entered Cate’s cozy home. She’s always been gracious in allowing me to take pics to document my firsts last year and my journeys this year. I love this picture of Cate filling her plate, her face lit up with a huge smile. What you can’t hear is the laughter ringing out as well. We laugh a lot when we are together, and chat non-stop. Because this was a celebratory dinner, for my birthday last month, Cate baked cookies for dessert. They were delicious, and also gluten free and made with coconut sugar instead of regular sugar. We both love hot tea, and had a cup with our cookies. What a perfect end to the meal.
Cate is one of those friends that I can talk about any topic with, and we generally cover a wide range of subjects! Even though I was originally keeping an eye on the weather, I soon forgot about that as we finished dinner and carried our hot tea and the conversation into the living room. I really appreciate Cate. She has an amazing perspective on the journey, living as she does in awareness while fully engaging life. She brings a rich knowledge of so many subjects into the conversations along with a quick wit. And she is one of the most compassionate people I know. I am privileged to call her friend and to have her as a traveling companion on the journey.
And speaking of journey, she presented me with a hoodie tonight, that is perfect for this time of year AND has my word on it! “It’s the Journey” is proclaimed boldly across the front. Beneath those words, it says Kansas Explorers Club. I love that…an explorer’s club! Yes, I’m all in. After a delightful evening I opened the front door to head for home and discovered that it had snowed lightly. All was well, however. I made it safely home. It was a perfect evening, spent with a wonderful friend, and I left at the perfect time. That’s how the journey flows…beautifully.
