Sorry for the radio silence this week, folks. It’s been a bit of a rough one up here in Massachusetts. Honestly, I’ve been trying to figure out how to pull together a blog post about Monday’s tragedy, but I’ve been mostly speechless. I knew several people running the Boston Marathon this year and many others cheering on runners. Thankfully, they are all safe and healthy. Unfortunately, the same is not true for the innocent people whose lives were lost or changed forever by Monday’s act of violence.

Of course in these moments of tragedy, people come together in beautiful and touching ways. Monday, thank God, brought out the best in us. I mean, when Yankees and Red Sox fans are nice to one another, you know that we’ve managed to move past petty differences and toward community! Unfortunately, it isn’t all goodwill; we cannot ignore that inexcusable moment when we accused a victim of being a suspect based on his racial background. But by and large, we have seen extraordinary acts of bravery, kindness, hospitality, and generosity.

This morning, I read an article about the Richard family, who lost their precious 8 year old son on Monday. It’s a story of a loving community.

Bill and Denise Richard helped restore the old Peabody Square clock. They led the charge to reconfigure the intersection to make it safer. They gave oversight to the long-time-coming reconstruction of Ashmont Station and paved the way for a new landmark building, the Carruth, to rise above the stations’s once-forlorn frontage. Bill led the Main Street organization as board president for years and…he and Denise have made their corner of our neighborhood a better place.

On Tuesday, a neighbor of the Richard family stopped that Peabody Square clock and changed the time to 2:50pm – the moment that time stopped for Boston. It is a touching gesture from one neighbor to another, in a tight-knit community that will support one another through this impossible loss.

The Peabody Square Clock – Photo from The Dorchester Reporter

What do we do when someone we love is hurting? We reach out, with imperfect words and gestures, to remind them that they belong to a loving community. We may not have known someone directly impacted by the Marathon bombings, but we probably know someone who is lonely, scared, sick, or isolated. Consider carving out some time this weekend to keep building up this great, big, loving community in your own way. And since it’s always better to bring a baked good, I leave you with this delicious banana bread recipe.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Ginger – adapted from Molly Wizenberg’s A Homemade Life via Tea and Cookies

Ingredients:

• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cups finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3-4 ripe bananas)
• 1/4 cups sour cream (not low-fat or nonfat)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Set rack in center of the oven and preheat to 350°.
2. Grease a standard loaf pan with butter or cooking spray.
3. Melt the butter in a small bowl, either in the oven on using a microwave. Set aside to cool.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the chocolate chips and crystallized ginger. Stir well to combine and set aside.
5. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a fork. Add the banana, sour cream, melted butter, and vanilla, and stir to mix well.
6. Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just mixed. The batter will be very thick and somewhat lumpy, but there should be no unincorporated flour. Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
7. Bake until the loaf is a deep shade of golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. If the loaf seems to be browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.
8. Cool the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then tip it out onto the rack and let cook completely before slicing.

Keep loving one another, my little Supper Club community!