tomato

today i drank tomato juice with my lunch.
i was sitting at the dining room table enjoying the view out of the sunroom.
the crystal blue of the sound. the sparkling water like tiny crystals.
smiling at the picture of you on the mantle.
i took a sip of the juice and breathed in the strong scent of tomatoes.
and suddenly i was back in 2004-back from camp and you and i were outside together.
sitting out on the gazebo deck sipping lemonade, scotty swinging in the hammock nearby.
frosty and bruno running around the neighborhood and dad at Costco no doubt.
and your cherry tomatoes in a delicious salad you prepared for us. yumm.
you and i laughing and chatting and catching up like best friends do.
enjoying the company like moms and daughters do.

and then...the memory was over.
aug. 22nd 09: you have been gone for 13 months.
perhaps that's why you sent me a memory today.
thank you mama.