Gratitude is often felt the strongest after years of hindsight: students develop greater appreciation for their teachers and professors after they successfully have a chance to use what they've learned, just as I think most individuals learn to thank their parents when they have children of their own and recognize the sacrifices involved. For me, the essay "Minestrone Soup" is such an expression of delayed gratitude for my Aunt Ruth, a woman who gave tirelessly and selflessly of what she had to those around her. Our family was on the receiving end of her hospitality for most of my growing-up years, and with each visit that I grew in maturity I observed more and more what she sacrificed for us, not seeing the full picture of her altruism until years after her funeral. This essay is intended to be the tribute and thank you to that influential woman that I was unable to provide in her living years.

The National Undergraduate Literature Conference in Ogden, Utah 2011.