My favorite meal

Now that I live by myself one of my favourite meals occurs every Wednesday. I visit my younger daughter and her young family to spend the evening with them. When I arrive the children are at home from school and I get involved with their homework either by listening to one of them read a set book or helping with spelling. This activity does not come without a cuddle or chat about Mine-craft on the computer or even a discussion on whether the pet chickens have laid eggs or been chasing the smaller ones around the run.   

I also get involved with the preparation for the evening meal of putting my oar in by choosing a wine or carving the meat and am almost as pleased as the children when my son in law returns home from work so he can discuss his day with us all and ask how each of us has coped with our own.

While we all encourage to the children eat everything on their plates we discuss the day’s events and laugh at life and love each other.

Then we all clean the table and the children know they have to get ready for bed. I will stay sitting waiting patiently until I too am called to say goodnight to the little ones. To receive my hugs and kisses from the granddaughter and then to listen my grandson read a few pages of his latest Tin Tin adventure or talk of his last game of football.

When they finally let me go I return the couch and chat, play a game of cards or watch the TV with a hot drink, content that all is well with the world and I am truly part of the family.

Later as I drive back home in the dark I can feel my wife cuddle close to me. She says not a word for she has been dead almost three years. She loved all her children and her grandchildren and she is content that even now we still have this bond doing what she loved to do as well.