It was more then just cooking Shrimp Tacos. 

Last night I did something I have done many times, I cooked supper for the family with Mia Rae But this was different. Not sure why I was thinking this. As we cooked in the kitchen of my Mothers vacation home in Nags Head NC we were in Harmony. We worked as if we were from the same blood, as if she was my first baby, as if she knew I had her back and she had mine. We cooked as a father and daughter or parent and kid should always do. As we looked up recipes, talked about sauces, decided on sides and our main course, a course that would be Shrimp Tacos, with a Lime Cilantro Creme and a Sweet-Red Chili Cole Slaw. We started as a team, never out of place just flowing so smooth of the same person, my twin, my first off-spring who shares the same love, the passion of cookery. We cut, we chopped, we talked and created, we took chances and laughed, we made supper together me and my Mia Rae. Then it hit me, when will our last supper take place? When will you not stay over and cook, and laugh, and be my child in my home. Is this feeling the feeling of gratefulness as I watch you cook with my humbled, fluttering heart, knowing that you will be awesome at what ever you do. Confident in your determination and ability, I know you will crush it at Johnson and Wales. Or is this feeling a feeling one feels when his nest is starting to empty when that process the “older” parents talk about starts. Is this when my core family the Starcher six starts to live their own lives, where the “family” is not “the home”. I think that is it. I think that is why this night that we prepare Shrimp Tacos I see my world changing and I am not quite ready, she is, but this dad is not. Just as she watches my back, I will always watch hers. But I won’t be able to, like I want. I mean I will always have her back. But I will be five hours away- I will be there, just five hours after I wanted to be.  So as we completed the preparation and cooking process and I taught and I learned, I smiled. I smiled knowing that this is just another step in her process of becoming the person we always dreamed she would become, that we prayed she would become. 

As we stood beside each other, as one, we tasted our creation, and Anna asked “is it good”. We just smiled at each other and we knew that is not just good, it is great and I smiled bigger, lip splitting big, knowing our greatest accomplishment ever, our Miep is more then good she is great and I will share my kitchen, her kitchen or wherever to have the pleasure of cooking with her again, as often as I can, for as long as I can with my ChefMiaRae.