NANA'S COOKIES

They only have a few ingredients…peanut butter, a cake mix…oh…and chocolate chips

yet no one will ever forget the feeling when Nana’s cookies hit their lips.

They are in the house when family visits…she’s sent them off to college dorms.

on road trips they’re a must… you’ve gotta try them when they’re warm.

right out of the oven when they’re still fresh and chewy

when the peanut butter melts inside your mouth and the chocolate chips are gooey.

They taste just as good the first of January as they do the last day in December

She’s been baking them for our family and friends for as long as anyone remembers. 

As we replenished her ingredient supply the other day in the aisle of a store

I thought it’s not the ingredients that makes them special…it must be something more.

I mean anyone can combine ingredients and mix them with a beater…

Perhaps it is the love that passes…from Nana to the eater. 

Perhaps there’s more to these cookies…more than the eye can see.

Perhaps she’s baking more than cookies…she’s baking memories.

Perhaps she’s teaching us about tradition, about family and giving

Perhaps it’s not just a recipe for cookies…it’s a recipe for living.

She’s passing down a tradition…one every family member knows so well

and long after Nana and I are gone…they’ll have a story to tell.

They will remember the aroma, the taste, her smile as she greets them at the door

Yes, Nana will always be remembered for her cookies…

for her cookies…and for so much more.

I just realized as I fill my face with cookies

and my cheeks get chipmunk fat

that I should end this poem before it gets too dull

But as we all well aware…

it’s much too late for that!

HAPPY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DAY