{"id":9651,"date":"2014-12-15T21:35:25","date_gmt":"2014-12-16T02:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beginnersheart\/?p=9651"},"modified":"2014-12-15T21:35:25","modified_gmt":"2014-12-16T02:35:25","slug":"of-waiting-and-childhood-impatience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beginnersheart\/2014\/12\/of-waiting-and-childhood-impatience.html","title":{"rendered":"of waiting, and childhood impatience"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"via<\/a>
via google<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As I wrap presents, write out menus, email to find out who’s bringing what to the holiday feast, I can’t help but think of my mother. She was NOT organised, nor was she an organiser. Tell her what to do, and she did fine. But I don’t remember her ever taking on…projects.<\/p>\n

We had holiday dinners elsewhere, for the most part. At one of my grandmothers’ houses, or even at her elder sister’s a couple of times. I don’t remember special holiday dinners at our homes — all the many of them we had as we followed my father — or even breakfasts.<\/p>\n

Mother never wrote out a menu, to my knowledge. At least not for a party. The one time she told the cook to make macaroni&cheese&applesauce, we ended up with exactly that: macaroni & cheese that had applesauce carefully blended throughout.<\/p>\n

I do remember eating out, unusual for my generation. We went to the officers’ club regularly. The one in Bangkok served a wonderful dessert: Coupe Vanille: scoops of vanilla ice cream between two pale & perfect meringues, slathered w\/swoops of whipped cream. Decadence in a silver dish.<\/p>\n

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via wikipedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was an impatient child, probably inherited from my mother, who also hated waiting. I would fidget. She would press her lips together and sigh. Sometimes loudly. I grew up thinking impatience was pretty normal.<\/p>\n

Over the years, I’ve learned to make menus. Learned the skills my mother must have mastered eventually, as I know she told various cooks in various countries what to feed us. I learned to cook, as well — but not from my mother. From my great-aunt, and my mother-in-law, both excellent cooks. I even learned patience, on a small scale, but still. It’s a necessary element of beginner’s heart.<\/p>\n

Today, as I wait for the two parties that mark this holiday season, and the arrival of my perfect and adored grandson (and his wonderful parents, as well!), I try to remember that patience is another word for anticipation — that lovely tingly feeling of something wonderful juuuust around the corner. And the axiom my old ladies taught me: anything worth having is worth waiting for<\/i>. Even if it seems to take FOREVER.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I wrap presents, write out menus, email to find out who’s bringing what to the holiday feast, I can’t help but think of my mother. She was NOT organised, nor was she an organiser. Tell her what to do, and she did fine. But I don’t remember her ever taking on…projects. We had holiday…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":398,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[11,1181,1187,262,1196,919],"class_list":["post-9651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-food","tag-beginners-heart","tag-britton-gildersleeve","tag-buddhism","tag-buddhist-blogs","tag-food","tag-waiting"],"yoast_head":"\nof waiting, and childhood impatience - Beginner's Heart<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As I wrap presents, write out menus, email to find out who's bringing what to the holiday feast, I can't help but think of my mother. 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