Ian turned 16 this week. I’ve known this young man since he was six. He is growing into an adult before our eyes. Every time I see him he is at least an inch taller.
What a weird dichotomy to celebrate the life of a wonderful young man amidst the passing of George Floyd. The world is unsafe for Ian and for Keith and for Keith Junior. I hold my breath every time they leave the house, praying for their safe return, wishing I could be with them everywhere they go to literally protect them from danger.
I can’t actually change the world, but I can continue to show up and do my best. This week, we saw again just how much needs to change. We all did. There is a deep well of sadness in the air, but we have to keep pushing forward and reaching for the life we dream of that is free of racism and safe for EVERYONE. Black lives matter so much. Ian’s life matters.
This week, I texted and called and advocated and I also baked a cake.
I got to celebrate a wonderful young man turning sixteen. I called the birthday boy and asked him what kind of cake he wanted just like I do every year. For the past few years, he’s wanted an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. This year, he requested a lemon cake.
What sixteen year old wants lemon cake?
I don’t particularly like lemon cake, but I’d do anything for Ian so I started researching lemon cakes online. Ina won, of course. Her cake is a beast. You have to zest eight lemons. She perplexingly calls for extra large eggs in her baking, which I don’t understand.
Why not regular eggs?
The lemon cake recipe makes enough for two loaf cakes. Cake by the pound. I made one loaf and a dozen cupcakes. You have to make the cake and then a simple lemon syrup to pour over it while it’s still warm and then top it off with a lemon confectioner sugar icing before serving.
It’s a lot of steps. Oh, and did I mention that Oakland had a heat wave this week and I made this cake in my 90 degree kitchen? I was sweating from the heat and from baking something that is a bit outside of my baking comfort zone.
But, when Ian was here and we got to celebrate his life, it felt so worth it. Keith made his famous fried chicken and the boys hung out and explored our new neighborhood. We sang happy birthday to him and there was real, true joy as we dug into our lemon cake together. I hope he knows how loved he is and how much we want him to be safe and happy always.
Happy birthday to Ian. Let’s continue to fight for a better world for him and for our youngsters.
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