Purchase

 Monica: I'm having a little obsession with coconut lately. It began when I discovered that warm rice pudding drizzled in cold coconut milk is divine. Then some friends brought over pineapple Coconut Bliss ice cream and made a warm berry compote to serve it with. I declared it my new favorite dessert. I then discovered this coconut yogurt in the grocery store and bought one try it out.  I think I might have stuck my face in the cup to lick the last of the coconut creaminess. It seems I'm not the only one. Coconut juice is all the rage here in California—the latest health drink. I tried that, too. It's tasty, but not decadent. Not like the jar of raw chocolate coconut butter I bought the other day.

Evelyn: That which cannot be purchased...  A late night call filled with words of love and support, the echo the herons pipe out over the lake in the mornings, the night time crickets and frogs - humming lullabies to my soul in live surround-sound.  I dance to the falling leaves - spinning yellow twists on the cool winter winds - cascading like dry rain. I stir with the warmth of a hand on my skin, or with the pink of cherry blossoms burgeoning on branches. I am roused with the stream of energy running through my body after a jog, or settled by the soft fur of my dog as he nuzzles up to me under the sheets. I cherish the sweet sound of Monica's voice when she says, "Hey,... it's my sister!"  or the pleasant twist of my mother's accent, nurturing me when I call her. I love the brief kisses I still get from my father. I am filled by the sound of my name on the lips of another, a unique melodic greeting. All these things I can only gather to me in the moment that they exist... and I deeply appreciate the things in my life that cannot be purchased.