Coconut milk, vanilla, agave nectar, organic raw cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves…and two long tears rolling down my face.
After 3 days on the Vibrant Cleanse Lemonade Fast, I decided to treat myself to one of our favorite yummies: vegan hot cocoa. Elisha described it as ‘Heavenly’ and Elyssa and I concurred.
Hot Cocoa is a pretty big deal to me.
One of my fondest childhood memories was going to meet my grandma. She lived “far away.” It was probably a 6 hour drive, and we did not own a car. Then we had to hike up this steep muddy hill to get to her estate, a very hidden, remote location.
She was gorgeous. Petite and fragile but oh so strong, she looked like a hand-sculpted doll. Her eyes had a mixture of love, wisdom and pain and her hands reflected decades of hard work in the farm and with the crops. Her hugs were warm and long. Her motherly touch was in itself an “I love you.”
I was describing this amazing woman to my daughters this morning. In the only picture I have of her, her face is pressed against my dad’s chest and I was an barely an embryo in my mom’s belly; yet her face is indelibly engraved in my mind and my heart.
Mamá Lidia and I collected cocoa from the trees, set the beans on the sun to dry during the day and then under a shed during the night. We toasted them when they were ready and then mashed them in a giant mortar. We cooked this and it turned into a hard paste that then you would grind or melt to make cocoa.
I saw her so very few times and I lost her so soon but I will never forget the love I felt when I was around her. I feel it every time I drink a cup of pure cocoa.
I B E L I E V E
Love is Transcendent.
Love is Undying.
Love is Infinite.
Love is Eternal.
Love is Divine.
Love is Healing.
Love is a Legacy.
I B E L I E V E
A moment of love, comfort and connection can last and be savored forever. It can bring courage in our moment of fear, strength in our moment of weakness, certainty in a moment of doubt, joy in our moment of sadness.
Having a cup of vegan cocoa is a ritual that is yummy and healthy for my body, but it’s also soothing for my soul. It doesn’t matter what we do sometimes; when we do IT with love, we are creating a lasting memory of love.
[ela]