Comment on this article

A Simple Pleasure
by Eddy Robey

Recently, someone asked me to name the greatest gift I had ever received.
Turning my thoughts to the past, I realized that the happiest memories were
of times when I was able to bring a smile to someone dear. The most beautiful
of those smiles usually arose from something I had done, rather than a
present I had given.

My father was 60 years old when I was born. Arthritic, he would put his feet
up in the evening, and say how good it was to rest them. As a small child, I
started to rub them, and to this day can remember the pride I felt in seeing
his discomfort melt away.

I can still see my son's gleeful grin when we would play "This Little Piggy".
How miraculous those perfect pink toes seemed to a young mother.

Of course, we all like to reminisce about our first loves, and the tenderness
I felt when offering a foot massage, is one of my most romantic memories.

Now, I am getting older. My father has been dead these many years, the little
boy is grown to manhood, and love has left me behind: but those smiles are
still mine.

I am going to make a suggestion, so that you too may experience this. The
next time someone visits you, offer this gift of summer. Fill a small basin
with 3 inches of cool water. Add a few drops of Peppermint extract. Put it at
your guest's feet, and give them a fluffy towel. Let them soak away the cares
of the day.

Then relax and enjoy the sight of simple pleasure on their face. May the
memory of that smile warm your heart in winter.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Eddy Robey M.A.
Author of  It's Not Just Chicken Soup     
Like all Jewish mothers, I feed everyone in sight, and have been at work in the
kitchen for over 20 years. Correspondence should be addressed to
<eddyrobey@aol.com> and will be read as soon as the dishes are done. You can
find many of my recipes online at the  Gantseh Megillah . Please feel free
to forward this to anyone you think would enjoy it, as long as you include my
copyright.


[New] [Archives] [Join] [Contact Us] [Poetry in Motion] [Store] [Staff] [Guidelines]