Fruitcake, yay or nay

 Fruitcake, yay or nay.

I love Fruitcake. My mother made it every year for Thanksgiving and the holidays. That's if we didn't eat it all at Thanksgiving! Mom would even go as far as hiding a loaf in the back of the refrigerator or freezer. That way, we would be sure to have a loaf for Christmas or New Year's. I remember she would begin making the loaves months in advance. One year at Christmas, Mom gave me an I O U for a fruitcake. She knew how much I loved it. She wanted to make me one for my next birthday. My birthday is in August, but Mom passed the very next July. Our 1st family Thanksgiving without Mom was difficult, to say the least. Unless you've experienced a holiday without a loved one for the 1st time, there are no words that can describe the emptiness. Her chair at the table, empty. We would grieve all over again at  first holidays without her. Oddly, my sister went to the frig to look for something, and behold, she found one of Mom's fruitcakes. It was the very last loaf she made. Hidden, just as she would do. Fast forward, a couple of years ago, my stepmother gave me a "Mother's " dessert plate. Every year on December 31st, my mother's birthday, I use the plate to serve fruitcake. It's my way of celebrating Mom. I still have the fruitcake I O U on my refrigerator. Enjoy your family and loved ones while they are still here. Celebrate their lives and cherish the memories if they have passed. God bless.