Tonight, Madison and I cooked dinner for the family.

I’m not a great cook, but Maddi had a recipe that she wanted to try, so we went to the local supermarket to buy some ingredients.

It was a simple chorizo carbonara with fettucini and it was delicious.  In fact, her twin brother, Logan, proclaimed it the best home cooked meal that he had ever consumed.  That’s high praise from a growing 12 year old boy.

But it’s not about the quality of the meal.

It’s about the quality of the memory that was created.

Maddi was jumping around the kitchen, so excited by the process.

She was setting timers, turning stoves off when she shouldn’t have and preparing the carbonara sauce with the precision of a moderately intoxicated dog groomer.

And she loved every minute of it.

Today, much of our state went into lock-down due to this mongrel of a virus.

Much of the community is anxious and stressed about the future.

But her memories of today will be of spending time with her dad in the kitchen, creating a meal, developing a skill and loving life.

What memories will you create for you and your loved ones in the midst of this chaos?