We looked forward to it all week: spending a winter Saturday evening with Ricky and Jasmine. The invitation promised supper at their table, a walk in "their park" (how handy is it to have your apartment back onto one of your city's beautiful parks?), and the privilege of joining them in their evening Advent time. It did not disappoint! Ricky & Jasmine's first hospitality feature was handing us cups of hot apple cider to accompany us warmly on our chilly stroll through Waterloo Park.
The festival of lights called Wonders of Winter is on right now in the park. We saw various arrangements of lights displaying anything from animals to storybook characters to biblical scenes.
Among the many light displays, there was a wooden structure depicted as the Bethlehem stable. A special nativity scene inside took our eye, especially after it was pointed out that the carvings came from the Shepherd's Fields olive wood store in Bethlehem. We'd been to that very place on our trip to Israel a few years ago, and recognized the style of wooden nativity scene.
Back in Ricky & Jasmine's apartment, supper was a beautiful and tasty event.
I loved how Jasmine paired the cornbread and butter on one platter.
The chili-turned-taco-soup was perfect for a mid-December evening!
What a gorgeous dessert tray! The peanut butter balls or chestnuts or buckeyes - take your pick of terminology - were as delicious as they were intriguing of name. I googled buckeyes and discovered that they are named after the Ohio Buckeye, a tree in the chestnut family. The picture of buckeye nuts that popped up on my phone screen looked very much like the buckeyes on the plate.
The moments after supper were filled with relaxing conversation, music, and reminiscing.
Joining Ricky's in their evening Advent time was a perfect way to end the day. To slow down, be still, listen, wait, watch, yearn, confess, grieve, rejoice. To pray and to sing. To embrace the Light. Together.
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