The Process
December 5, 2023
The parchment paper is perfectly square.
The cookies are perfectly round.
Each cookie is not precisely a quarter inch thick.
The sugar coating might be uneven.
These cookies and their counterparts might be my greatest accomplishment.
You’re shaking your head right now.
How can these misshapen, ill-sized cookies be my greatest accomplishment.
It’s really quite simple. They bring a whole group of people together… anticipating, discussing, tasting, smiling, laughing and generally filling themselves to the top metaphorically and actually with holiday joy.
I meant for that to happen.
It’s a metaphor actually.
You don’t have to do anything perfectly or photo-ready. It doesn’t have to always work out perfectly or maybe even at all. Sometimes you have to wait hours or even days for the end result and even then, you wish just a little bit that it was slightly better than it turned out. It turns out that it still tastes sweet, brings smiles, fosters hope, elicits joy, and generally gets the job accomplished.
If you show up day after day, year after year, dependable, joyful, willing, the effort will be appreciated. The results will be remarkable. The legacy will be cemented.
It isn’t just a cookie…
Reflections from a Coach 
Thank you for reminding us in this age of Pinterest perfection and Fictionizing filters that there is a real side to joy, and that is the handcrafted uniqueness of a few flaws here and there to keep it real. You’re so right. It’s not just a cookie.
AMEN! Food has a remarkable way of bringing people together — especially homemade food! I legacy cemented with little imperfections and loads of love! Thanks for sharing! Your instagram pictures of you baking have me drooling!! xoxo
My take-away from your lovely piece is the repetition. Every year you can count on it, we will be making andn eating cookies together. Some years someone may think, ‘ugh, do I have to?” But the accumulation adds up to security and love. I appreciate your cookie metaphor, and I’ll also try to take it literally!
How absolutely wonderful and delectably divine! I love that this analogy embedded in sugary cuisine reminds of how sweet it is to bring people together and make memories with intentionality, even amidst our imperfections.
It is both practical and poignant, and I loved feeling the smile that spilled across my face as I read each line. The warmth resonated from the outside in. You are right. It’s not just a cookie, indeed!
Job well done!
~Dr. Brown
She’s back and with a great slice! Missed you!