Levain Bakery

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Which cookie from Levain Bakery in New York City do I love the most?
The one that gets sent to me in the mail as a surprise.
The one that is sitting in my kitchen because someone remembered.

She remembered that whenever we were in NYC, Jason and I liked heading uptown to get them.
She remembered that I have brought them home on the plane before – because she does that, too.
She remembered me.
She remembered Jason.
And then she had some cookies sent across the country.

Kristen has been our friend since Jason and I met in college.
We shared an office in student government together. That was a gift.
We drove to the temple each week in the early morning to do baptisms before class. That was a gift.
She was pivotal in setting up the BYU leadership scholarship in our name after Jason died. That is a gift.
She edited the manuscript of our book so thoroughly that it has become the key reference in getting it ready for publication. That was a tremendous gift.

And then she sent cookies from NYC.
I opened the box, almost giddy with anticipation.
Who would send me something from Levain Bakery?
Coleman didn’t know what the package was.
He’s been there with us.
He’s walked the streets of Manhattan to get there.
But he doesn’t remember.

Kristen does.
She’s never been there with us but she’s been there. And she remembers that we have, too.

Why is simply remembering such a gift?
Because I don’t want to do it alone.
My person who experienced the memory with me isn’t here anymore. We don’t get to talk about it. Laugh about it. Drool about it together.
But I don’t want to remember by myself.
I don’t want to be the only one who has a picture in my mind of the shop. The street. The countertop. The cookies.
I want to remember together.

Kristen doesn’t live here.
And she doesn’t live in New York either.
She’s all the way across the country from Levain Bakery.
Yet, she remembered.

And it’s the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip that’s my favorite.✊🏻💙