“One of them, anyway.” I can’t help but think that negatives ripple, too. Wars create more wars. Hatreds escalate into monuments to revenge. But Charlene doesn’t need to be reminded of harm. “And maybe love is, ultimately, the best we get. It doesn’t solve everything, but in spite of it all, it’s the most significant thing we have.”

“Yes. The best we’ve got.” She smoothes a strand of hair away from her cheek. “And we did it.”

“Once again.” We made our cookies, shared them with our friends, and got one another through the dark time.

We rejoiced and celebrated another year.

“Yay, for us.”

Yes.

GINGER

Before chocolate became the taste of dessert, ginger was considered the luxurious flavoring by Europeans. Native to Asia, where its use as a culinary spice spans at least forty-four hundred years, ginger grows in fertile, moist, tropical soil. The plant produces clusters of white and pink flower buds that bloom into yellow flowers. It is the underground root that becomes the spice.

Ginger is at least as well known for its medical uses as it is for its dietary delights. Important in Chinese medicine for many centuries, it’s mentioned in the writings of Confucius and named in the Koran, indicating it was familiar to Arab countries as far back as A.D. 650. Ginger is a known diaphoretic, meaning it causes one to sweat. Henry VIII instructed the mayor of London to use ginger as plague medicine.

It is used to relieve acid indigestion and nausea from seasickness, morning sickness, and chemotherapy. My grandmother insisted on ginger ale when anyone’s stomach was upset. And, for me, it makes great tea. Just grate it, put it in a tea ball, and add some honey. It’s an everyday medicine without taking pills. Great if your stomach is upset. There is some evidence it reduces joint pain and arthritis, and may have both blood-thinning and cholesterol-lowering effects. It is effective against diarrhea, especially a form that is the leading cause of infant death in developing nations.

Ginger has long been used as an aphrodisiac, taken either internally or externally. It is mentioned in the Kama Sutra, and in the Melanesian islands of the South Pacific, employed to gain the interest of a woman since eating ginger increases the flow of blood to the groin. Conversely, in the Philippines it is chewed to expel evil spirits.

In Asia, it is used in pickles, chutneys, and curry pastes as the ground dried root is an ingredient of curry powders. Pickled ginger accompanies satays and sushi and is a garnish to many Chinese dishes.