The Fall Harvest Cake

Yesterday I attended the local annual C.V.B.C.A. (Cumberland Valley Breast Cancer Alliance) fundraising event. The silent auction seemed to be a huge success; I noticed literally hundreds of women happily writing down their "bids" on the pink cards located next to each item. In fact, I bid on - and won - a few items, namely a Byers' Choice Caroler, a woman sporting a cute white dress adorned with the pink ribbon symbol for breast cancer. But there was one item that really caught my eye: A Fall Harvest Cake.

This Epicurean delight retained the perfect shape of the circular bundt cake pan in which it had been baked, and it had also been carefully wrapped up in pretty cellophane paper and tied with a pink ribbon. But even beyond its noteworthy appearance, I wondered what on earth a Fall Harvest Cake tasted like. The more I looked at it, the more I thought that I just HAD to have it. So I quickly wrote my bid on the card, at $10.00.

There! I thought after replacing the pen on the table. I'm sure that everyone will keep walking right on by this silly cake, and they'll most likely pass it up for something much better, something that will last longer than a couple of days, I thought as I smiled to myself and felt my salivary glands gearing up in anticipation.

The afternoon continued, and several times when I wasn't tasting the refreshments, laughing with friends, or surveying the other items that were included in the silent auction, I'd glance at the card next to the Fall Harvest Cake.

As I checked the pink card assigned to this cake, I'd noticed that several woman had OUTBID me and that my original bid was way at the top of the list! In fact, it finally came down to one woman who seemed as hungry as I was to win this particular masterpiece. Her name, interestingly, was also Karen, although I didn't know her. The price of that Fall Harvest cake had escalated; her bid was the highest, at $55.00.

By this point, it became more of a game, a lighthearted competition, as to who would fold first: me or the other woman who continually outbid me. I'd find myself walking by the cake table and glancing at the last price, and each time I did this, I noticed that the woman had made a counter offer on my Fall Harvest Cake. In response to her efforts to secure that cake for herself, each time I'd write down a price that was $5.00 more than her price.

Finally, the bidding came to a close. I was the last person to offer a price for that Fall Harvest Cake. It sold for $90.00. All the proceeds for this event were donated to women with breast cancer who needed financial assistance. I was happy to donate the $90.00. But what I really wanted at that point was to take the cake home, sit down with a cup of coffee, and savour a delicious slice.

And I did just that. I tasted apples, cinnamon, and a few walnuts, all nestled within a perfectly moist cake. While enjoying this treasure, however, another thought occurred to me: I needed to share the cake with others. For some reason, it just tasted too good to keep to myself. And part of me felt a little guilty for outbidding that other woman, whoever she was.

So, after enjoying the last morsel of my piece of cake, I carefully cut the remainder of the beautiful cake into 10 slices, placed them onto a large platter, and covered the plate with clear wrap and a pink bow. The following day, I drove to my husband's office where I dropped off the cake for others to enjoy. And the smiles that I received as I gave the cake away was worth it - every last cent. I silently bid farewell to my Fall Harvest Cake. And the funny thing was, it was so easy to do. And it felt wonderful...

So many times in life we think that we really want something and would do almost anything to obtain it. But when it comes right down to what really matters in life, seeing the smiling faces of other people is worth more than any amount of money. Make someone smile -- it'll do wonders for you! Enjoy your day!