Last week had been an emotional rollercoaster of numerous farewells. No matter how often I have been dealing with partings since I was a teenager, every fresh one continues to wrench my heart. We began the week with the passing of a well-loved political figure whose last message to Canadians inspires us to be more generous and inclusive. It is rare that leader of political party appeals to so many different demographic whether or not we agree with his party’s ideals. His early death is a great loss to Canada and I am worry about the uncertain future of the political landscape for the time to come.
On a more personal level, last week also saw the last day of a team member at work as he prepares for an exciting career move. Coworkers come and go so what was the big deal? Well, every once in a while, you come across the rare opportunity to work with a closely knit group of people who are smart and truly enjoy each other’s company. Our team had been intact for one full decade building something we are very proud of. Within the last few months, we have lost half of our team. And now with the departure of the creative force behind our work, I am doubtful of our team’s future. What saddens me the most is the end of an era in all of our lives.
Within the last decade, a solid friendship has formed among the group of us. We witnessed two weddings, the birth of eight children, the purchase of three ridiculously heavy barbeque clay ovens, and countless birthday parties. We mourned the passing of beloved family members. We tasted the weekly goodies from my culinary class to experience my growth as a baker and home cook. We shared each other’s frustration with work but also the triumph of technical advances with every cool feature we built.
I will miss our spontaneous brainstorming sessions which creative ideas were thrown about regardless of their relevance to our project (laser replacement for zambonis anyone?). I will miss our spirited discussions about the pros and cons of western, paleo, and vegetarian diets. I will miss the little known history of computer science trivia. I will miss the inspiration of working with such brilliant friends whose vision of how things should and could be done is beyond my imagination.
We gathered together last Friday for our last team lunch with a dessert finale over cups of Tim Horton’s coffee at the picnic bench in the office parking lot. I made Flo Braker’s Caramel Chocolate Cream Pie for the occasion not only because it was decadently delicious, but also because it contained not a single piece of fruit in sight. We all know each other’s taste in food so well by now. This is a pie of flakey pie crust filled with thick caramel sauce, satiny caramel chocolate pudding, and clouds of billowy whiskey whipped cream. It is a twist on the traditional chocolate cream pie. The genius move is to cook the chocolate pudding in the unwashed pot used for making caramel. The chocolate pudding is infused with a slight bittersweet taste of caramel undertone.
Farewells are always bittersweet. It was hard to say goodbye to a period of our lives that brought us true friends. At the same time, I am happy for upcoming exciting opportunities for my friend. As for myself, there will be some hard thinking to do in the next few months.
