When I was in high school, one of the places my friends and I always hung out was called The Gathering Grove. This was an eclectic coffee shop and book store that hosted open mic nights where my friends were able to share their talents with the world. It is also the place that began my love of pink cookies and hot cocoa. Prior to The Gathering Grove, I never really spent much time in coffee shops as coffee is not a main fixture in my life. When I was there, I’d always order hot cocoa and a pink frosted cookie. It was the ultimate paring.
Later, as I spent more time around Kody, coffee stands became a regular part of my life. Kody loved coffee in a couldn’t get enough way that was endearing. If we were going off on any adventure, we had to stop at the coffee stand before we could go anywhere else. It took him little time to learn that my go to order was always going to be. Typically, we’d buy pink cookies and hot cocoa to go with whatever coffee order was his favorite one of the moment. He’d tease me about getting crumbs all over the seats of his car.
Whenever Kody knew I was having a hard day, he’d go out and get me a pink cookie with cocoa. He also loved to add pink cookies if he was buying me flowers or stopping to get gifts for my birthday. For one birthday, he drove all around town to all the different coffee stands just to purchase all the pink cookies that were available. We put them in the freezer and reheated them for ten seconds in the microwave. We quickly came to the agreement that they were especially good this way. Somewhere along the lines pink cookies became a symbol of his love for me. I loved receiving these treats and never grew tired of them.
Whenever I have pink cookies and hot cocoa, I can’t help thinking of Kody and all of the pink cookies he purchased for me over the years. This year, one of my friends at work has started slipping me pink cookies whenever she knows I really need one. She brought me a pink cookie with hot chocolate soon after his death, which was a surprise that had me tearing up at the computer. She’d never heard of how special these cookies were to Kody and I. It really felt like the gift came straight from him. Since then, she has regularly taken it upon herself to bring me a pink cookie whenever she knows I am feeling down.
Lately, it has become more challenging to find these cookies. I’m not sure why the coffee stands around here have started stocking them less. Perhaps, now that Kody isn’t buying them all up there has been a major dent in their revenue. I am always happy with any pink cookie I can find. When I find the “real ones” (which are Uncle Seth’s pink cookies) it always brings an extra smile to my face.