Life really is about grabbing moments and creating memories. Last Friday, I skipped out early from work, picked my mother up and took her to lunch at The Cedar Street Grille. What a fabulous afternoon: great company, great food and great memories.
It’s been a year of drastic change for my mom; my dad, who ran the household and made most of the major decisions, passed away last August.
My mother vowed she would bring Dad home after his stroke the year before so he could live the rest of his life in the house that has seen 5 generations of our family pass through its doors. At 84 years old she rose to the occasion and gave him round the clock care making sure he felt loved every day.
My siblings and I were a little concerned about how she would deal with the loss of her partner of 50 plus years but she has proved to be stronger than we realized. Over the last few of weeks we’ve been getting the home ready for sale and although I know she is sad and a little scared, she keeps her chin up. So it was time to get out and have a little fun.
We headed to the Cedar Street Grille in Sturbridge MA for a late lunch. We ordered off the Small Plates menu which was a fun way to sample and share a variety of The Cedar Street Grille’s fare.
It was tough deciding, but we narrowed our choices down to Crazy Dates: large dates stuffed with Goat Cheese and wrapped in Bacon, totally divine; Kallettes, a cross between Kale and Brussels Sprouts, deep-fried in malt vinegar and served with a Lemon Aioli; Garlic Shrimp and Frites, rounded out with a fresh Romaine, Feta and Avocado Salad. Kallettes was something new for me and my mom. They were crisp and delicious.
The food was great, the ambiance warm and the wait staff pleasant and knowledgeable. What more could you ask for?
We ate, laughed and talked about what the next chapter of her life will be like, her new home and memories of my dad.
It was a sweet afternoon.