The Miracle of the Cakes

In the time of Corona, celebrating special events requires exceptional ingenuity. Without question one of the most creative to date was the elaborate virtual birthday party orchestrated by one high school girlfriend, the incredibly generous and clever, Kathy Jenks, for another, the dear, cake-worthy Gwen Books. Although several classmates still live in our hometown, others are far flung—all staying improbably in touch on Facebook. 

Intrigue! The day before the birthday, ten of us received a group text saying that a surprise would arrive via FedEx or UPS next day prompting a round of speculation. When the over-the-top cakes began to arrive, the witty comments were a credit to the nuns who taught us to write decades ago. Indeed, the memory of Sister Helen, our English teacher, was evoked by several of the recipients.

 My favorite, courtesy of Mary Ellen Churchill: "We all know that Marie Antoinette was famous for saying, 'Let them eat cake' regarding her struggling French countrymen. But did she ever perform a miracle in which she made cakes appear on everyone's doorstep? No. What Kathy has done is more akin to the loaves and the fishes suddenly appearing on the hillside while the followers of Jesus  were listening to him...so it's like a miracle."

Our cakes, each one unique, came with instructions. We were to photograph the cakes and post them to Facebook with best wishes for the birthday girl. I was the beneficiary of a particularly photogenic and delicious orange creamsicle cake that brought back memories of running out to stop the Good Humor Man when he arrived on my childhood street. Everyone complied to the best of their abilities, like the good Catholic schoolgirls we still are in many ways. It was fun and festive. And we all had refrigerators full of miraculous cake for days. Thank you, Kathy.