This is the Sacred Wheel. A local cheese shop in Oakland, California. My mom and I went here this past week after a visit to another sacred place in Oakland, the LDS Temple. After one of the most difficult weeks of my life, I have been surrounding myself with my guiltless comforts: faith, food and Mama. Want to hear about our visit? Well, it was typical "us". First of all, my Mom assigns me to find us the food. Somewhere close. Delicious. She's hungry. I hop on the Yelp machine and find us a nice sandwich shop in Downtown Oakland, a few minutes from the Oakland Temple. Veto. Next, the Cheese Shop. Never had dinner at a Cheese Shop before. Cheese sounded soothing enough to me. Game on. We head over to this charming shop and are welcomed by artistic cheese experts. They describe the cheese with such beautiful descriptions: smooth, creamy, sharp, bold, soft, DELICIOUS.
Although the menu was great, Mom wants what she wants....which isn't always the mainstream. She requests a cheese platter, equipped with a variety of cheeses, veggies, nuts and crackers. Mom+ cheese + top it off with a cup of cozy soup and BAM... you've got a platter of hygge.
Ten points if you can find it, but there is a little sign on the door of this Cheese Shop that invites visitors to,
"Come in...We're Open". Kind of a cute, vintage-y, Pinterest type of sign.
I'll be honest, I'm not a big whiner (I'm more of the cheesy type, ha). But on the reals, I do my best to find the good, the "silver lining". After a week of murky muck, it's hard to hop on a cloud. Thus, the recognition of a need for constant improvement. But between the gaps of sad and happy, there's the Team. I am SO grateful for the love, support and strength from hosts of angels, both seen and unseen. Although my life has been a little rocky, I've been given the gift of people through the most challenging of circumstances. Random people even. People remind me, knowingly or not, about the beauty of life and the hope that stems from covenants.
I know that people are placed in our lives for a reason. Sometimes for a season. Sometimes for a lifetime. This past week, through my cloudy eyes and achy heart, people have "come in" and have opened up their arms and hearts. No bitterness, no anger, just sadness The sting of loss and change cuts to the bone. But a sliver of my heart has faith in the bigger picture. I know that through time, my heart will heal. Just when you think that the people who love you are tired of all the tears, they're not. It's beautiful really. Think of it!
I'm grateful for the peaceful simplicity of family.
My mom's an angel. That night we cried. We talked. We ate. We smiled. Simple pleasures. "I don't know how I'll move one step in front of the other", I told her. "I'm here for you", she replied. Then, she showed me how--we walked out that night with left over goodies in our box. She gently handed the remaining treats to a man sitting on the curb with his head hung low.
I'm grateful for the lessons I learned that night at the cheese shop.
I'm grateful for sacred places.
I'm grateful for the team of angels we each have helping us through this crazy thing called life.
