Grateful

The Italian lady puts a platter in front of me. It’s enough food for 6 people. Here you go she says and smiles at me. She is tiny and thin and her apron hangs crooked on her. Her eyes are deep brown and kind. She touches my shoulder and says enjoy.

The food is steaming hot and the heat rises, bringing its fragrance up to my nose. I cut into the spaghetti and eggplant and taste it. I am hungry and now happy to have dinner.

The restaurant is empty. The Italian lady hurries back to the kitchen. The waitress wanders over to talk to us and share some of the owners history and stories about working with her. She is happy and chatty and I’m glad she is there to share her stories with us. She gives me a take home box to pack the leftover portion of my food before I leave.

Driving back home, I am happy. The open space is expansive and the dark sky full of stars. It’s quiet and the snow insulates the earth. What beauty surrounds us. There is beauty everywhere. It’s in the people we meet, the sky, the earth and within us.