We have some nice new neighbors across the street from us, and we have gotten to know them better. The other day, they dropped by with a container full of delicious Italian meatballs, which turned out to be absolutely fabulous.

I wanted to reciprocate, and realized that I hadn’t made chocolate chip cookies since Dad passed on. He had loved my cookies and I always made them for him. After he died, I stopped making them; it made me too sad.

But after the gift of the meatballs, I decided that it was time to make cookies again. I made a huge batch of them,  remembering how much I loved to make them. I enjoy baking, and it gives me a lot of pleasure to make baked goods for family and friends. So I loaded up a container full of cookies for our neighbors as a thank-you.

That broke the spell. I now know that I can bake again, and, if Dad were here he would approve. I am slowly realizing that the things that once brought me joy can still bring me joy.

And you know what? They taste just as good as I remembered.