"People disappear when they die. Their voice, their laughter, the warmth of their breath. Their flesh. Eventually their bones. All living memory of them ceases. This is both dreadful and natural. Yet for some there is an exception to this annihilation. For in the books they write they continue to exist. We can rediscover them. Their humor, their tone of voice, their moods. Through the written word they can anger you or make you happy. They can comfort you. They can perplex you. They can alter you. All this, even though they are dead. Like flies in amber, like corpses frozen in ice, that which according to the laws of nature should pass away is, by the miracle of ink on paper, preserved. It is a kind of magic."
---THE THIRTEENTH TALE...by Diane Setterfield

Upon reading these words last night I made a mental note as to which page to retrieve them and share. I have been thinking about plates of gold, the family tree painted on the upstairs hallway, Pres. Eyring's suggesting to make notes of daily tender mercies, and the general New Year's reconsideration of better journal keeping.

People don't altogether disappear...I can resemble my parents now and then. I am made aware of this fact when I make a comment, a certain expression, move a certain way and my husband or children assert that I am a "Clark," or in my mother's case..."Peterson." I am flattered at those times.

More than "ink on paper," the real magic is eternal life. Just the same I can see the value of keeping a record of one's life. I would love to know a little about the names that grace the upstairs wall of my home.

I learned early on that setting a table is so much more than just laying down knives and forks. It is creating a setting for food and conversation, setting a mood and an aura that lingers long after what was served and who said what was forgotten.
---Peri Wolfman

I so enjoyed sharing a simple meal with my family last night. We laughed, bantered, listened and lingered over empty dishes to savor the real flavor of friendship and love. My heart was satisfied and filled as well as my stomach. The perfect meal.