lemon cake

Less than two weeks after I had been hand delivered a lemon cake my phone rang at 6 am. My brother had been in an accident and in a sleep deprived state of mind I became hysterical. Alone and confused and several hundred miles away from my family I grabbed my things and started driving home. When you get a phone call like that a million terrifying things go through your mind and about zero good things do. When I got to my parents house 3 hours later there was no one there, my parents were already on their way to the hospital and I was waiting to catch a flight from Rock Springs to Idaho Falls. When I walked into the house on the kitchen counter there was the tupperware container that the lemon cake had been in.

Well a little over a year later I was nominated by the lemon cake maker to do a 7 day thankfullness challenge. The first thing that popped into my head, "I AM THANKFUL FOR LEMON CAKE" and let me tell you why. When I walked into that empty house and saw the empty cake container I no longer felt as alone. Thinking of that random act of kindness I was overcome with gratitude. Someone who I hadn't seen in over 10 years had made this cake for me for no reason other than she remembered how I absolutely loved it the day she had made it for her son's birthday party. A birthday party I had attended when I was probably 13 or 14 years old. (Side note: When I was 15 years old I had my appendix removed and she made me the very same cake to cheer me up. I didn't forget).

Now let me be honest, this is not a woman I am overly close with. Her son and I went to school together for years, but I couldn't tell you her maiden name or even her birthday for that matter but at a time when I felt completely hopeless the sight of that cake container reminded me of how beautiful the world can be. It reminded me of how utterly grateful I am to have grown up in a town where people like the cake maker still live.

It's funny the things that go through your head when you're in "crisis mode" the mental reminders you give yourself when feelings of panic and hysteria consume you. I would have never thought a random act of kindness could mean so much. Life is full of ups and downs, we all know that. The part we don't know is how to handle the downs. I kept thinking about the lemon cake, about how lucky I was that someone would do something so special for me, someone who I hadn't spoke to or seen in years. I felt less alone and I felt so incredibly grateful and incredibly special. I was home for my best friends wedding when I had been given this cake and at the time I had no idea the significance it would have on my life.

For me, knowing there's someone out there willing to make me a cake is more than enough to get through the lowest of lows. We might say, "it's the little things" that matter the most and honestly I think it's true. I try to appreciate my life on every level. I am so thankful for the place I was raised and for the people who surrounded me.

I know this isn't 7 days but it felt like the right time to share my words about the lemon cake and how special it has made me feel. How it gave me hope and comfort during a scary time and reminded me of how good the world can be.