In the middle of the party, Fred stopped the music and shouted, “It’s time to open the presents. But this time I will not be the first one to give out the gifts I bought. Because we have a mysterious businessman who anonymously sent us many gifts, coincidentally with the number of people in our house. But let me tell you that my heart knows that the mysterious man is called Ebenezer! Uncle Ebenezer, I give you the honor of being the first one to deliver the gifts. And I must add that we have no gift to give you this Christmas because we did not know that you would be here with us, but tomorrow I will personally take your Christmas gift to your office.”
Continue reading “THE FOURTH SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS (Part VII)”
Ebenezer walked slowly. He didn’t know what time it was. Although he could discern that it was already past noon, he did not think about how much time He had used on Christmas Day because He did not want to feel limited or restricted by time, He wanted to enjoy that day December 25 to the fullest. He had already been a slave to time and work for many years. Ebenezer wisely repeated to himself that the coming years would be different because he would live them with joy in his heart and although he did not know how many more years he had left of life, he knew that in the years to come, he would live them fully, without selfishness, without resentment , without bitterness in the soul and without worrying too much about the future since the spirits had taught him that the future does not belong to us and is uncertain.
While walking Ebenezer, kept the images of the man and his family under the bridge in his head, just as the spirit of Christmas Present had shown him the night before. When he reached the bridge, he could recognize it immediately; without hesitation, he began to descend the steep path in search of that man. As Ebenezer was under the bridge, he encountered terrible sights that could easily reach the heart of any sensitive person to human pain and thought,
Ebenezer made a mental list of the visits he would make and while walking down the street, he met three men who a few days earlier had asked for a donation for the shelters of the town that protected the homeless, the elderly and orphans throughout the year. The three men, facing Ebenezer, ignored him and continued walking. Then Ebenezer turned around, raising his right hand, shouted at them, “Gentlemen, I would like to talk with you for a moment.” The three men stopped and looking into each other’s eyes, nodding their heads as to say okay.
Since I was a child, I’ve liked cooking and modifying cooking recipes to give them a very personal touch and somehow, I always convert the recipes into original combinations of ingredients and flavors creating my own particular style of preparing them. On this occasion I want to share with you a recipe, which I’ve given the name of “Maria Amelia”, as a tribute to a great woman. She was an example in many aspects of life and she touched the lives of many people. I’ve used this recipe every Christmas season to prepare “María Amelia Cake”, and whenever I do, I remember how Maria Amelia ate almost the entire cake and with a jovial smile she told me, “You are to blame for making it so good, it’s perfect!, and then she asked ; “Could I take a little piece for Papa?, that as usual he had decided to stay at home”. So, every time I baked, I would make a special cake just for her and since it has been a few days since her passing I want to say that her joy and sweetness will become infused in the flavor of this cake. Even though this Christmas season will be the first of many in which Maria Amelia will not be eating the cake.
There are different ways to say goodbye according to the circumstances, the time we will be separated, the place where we are at the time of the farewell. If we say goodbye to a family member, a friend or an acquaintance, it can also be a formal or informal farewell, such as: Goodbye, See You Soon, Take Care, Until Tomorrow, Catch You Later, Bye-Bye. And all forms of farewell cause a degree of pain, but there is only one way to say goodbye to a loved one when they physically leave our side forever. In addition to being painful, it implies implicit faith, love and hope embodied in each of its letters when we say goodbye repeating: