Pie a Day Give Away

One night about 23 years ago I was watching television and an M&M’s candy commercial came on.  It featured two children in yellow rain slickers wearing galoshes. The kids saw a puddle ahead and they looked at each other and then jumped in it.  I sat there watching the commercial and began crying.  “Dear God, what is wrong with me?” I thought.  The very next day I made an appointment at the college health center and it was there that I met Lois.  I told her that I was extremely emotional and did not know why.  She ran some tests and then returned to the room and said “I’ve got good news.  You’re pregnant.”  At that point I began crying again.  Lois looked at me and said, “What’s wrong?  Didn’t you say that you were married?  And that your relationship is good?”  When I could speak I replied “Yes.”  Lois asked again, “Then what is the problem?”  I sobbed “I wanted to be perfect before I had children.”  Lois looked at me with a smile and said, “And when was that going to happen?”  She may have been kidding but her words were a great relief to me.   It was wonderful to know that I wasn’t expected to be perfect – I could just be me.  Similarly, my husband’s grandfather told us “If we all waited until we were “ready” to have kids, we’d never have any.”

Every day of our lives we interact with people.  Sometimes we know the people we meet but other times we deal with strangers.  Do you ever wonder if something you say or do will amount to anything?  I believe it – and try to be present so that I can recognize those opportunities.  It’s not easy but now and then, you will find that you can really make a difference to someone.

Today I brought Lois a quiche – and my timing couldn’t be better since her kitchen is being remodeled and she has been unable to cook.  How about that? Sometimes things work out perfectly after all.

“Life is short. We have not much time to gladden the hearts of those who journey with us. Therefore, be swift to love, make haste to be kind.”— Henri Amiel

One night long ago I woke up with what I thought was the most profound news: We are here for each other.  I’ll say that again: Our reason for living is to be there for one another. Can you imagine a world where people lived as if this was true?  How wonderful a place would that be?  We would have support when we needed it and could support others when we were able.  We would never feel alone because we would have a caring community around us.

Support can come in many ways – a shoulder to cry on, an ear to lend, a hand to hold.  Or maybe a quiche to savor when life is the most challenging.  It is the least that I can offer, and I do so with love.

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
Emily Dickinson

Before I woke up, I knew what type of pie I would make today.  A recipe for Ricotta Cheese Pie had been sitting on my counter for a week.  The recipe combines ricotta cheese with fresh apples in a pastry.   It sounded wonderful.   And it is.  The finished pie looked and smelled delicious -(one drawback when you bake a pie for someone else is that you don’t get to taste it!)

Her name is Amy but some of her peers at The Ashland Library suggest we call her “Olive” because she is the one with “all of” the information.  I first met Amy a number of years ago when she was helping with an election.  She was outside the library at night receiving ballots from those of us who are last minute voters.  I remember that she was smiling and amiable.  And it was evident that she was dedicated.  She may have been working but I got the feeling that she’d have been there even if she wasn’t paid.

Over the last few years, Amy has asked me to provide food for several library functions.  As you can imagine, her budget is limited.  What I like is that Amy just gives me the parameters and then leaves the rest to me.  It gives me an opportunity to create a lovely meal for a group of people who are incredibly appreciative.

And it is my way of thanking you, Amy, for your commitment to your community.

Sometimes when I begin to bake my “pie of the day” I don’t know who will be the recipient.  Today, as I prepared the crust and filling I felt that I was waiting for “inspiration” or some kind of message.  It seemed as if the pie itself was uncertain as to who it would be taken to.  As I finished the pie and popped it into the oven the owner of the pie was still unknown.

I began to think of the people I still wanted to thank and began jotting names down.  And then I wrote down “Andy Burt” and I knew I had the answer.  Andy was my son’s teacher for three years in middle school.  He was steadfast and honest and willing to be himself with his kids everyday.  He helped the ones that needed it and even those that thought they didn’t.  Remember, in middle school you think you know it all.   A Mark Twain quote comes to mind, “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around.  But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he’d learned in seven years.”

My son was fortunate to have Andy as his homeroom teacher.  Andy cared and showed it but he would also call his students out on behaviour that was not acceptable.  And while parents have to do that all the time, sometime it takes a person outside the family to really have an impact.  As a teenager, you may think you are fooling your parents, but when another adult looks at you and makes you think that you can be somebody, well, maybe you can begin to think it too.

Today I honor another teacher that helped my son on his journey to the person he has become.  Andy, I am forever grateful for the effort that it took and hope that you know what a difference you made.

Did you ever wonder where your ideas have come from?  Especially those ideas that hit you suddenly and  in an instant you decide on a course of action to take? Are these thoughts really our own or do they come from somewhere outside ourselves?  Perhaps, if we are open to them, we can be a part of something wonderful.

A while ago, I was working as a baker and noticed that we had a lot of leftover bread in the freezer.  I remembered that there was a shelter nearby and so I packed up the bread and drove it over to them.  As I walked through the door the receptionist asked what I needed.  I told her that I was bringing her some bread.  She stared at me for a moment.  I asked if she needed any  and she said,”Just a moment ago I told the coordinator that we did not have any bread for lunch and you walked in with a boxfull.”  That felt just a little bit strange but it also felt pretty cool.

Today while I was making another pie I thought of Judy, the nurse at Ashland High.  Earlier this week my son had gone to see her with a case of Poison Oak and she had helped him out.  I thought of how many kids she sees in a day and the range of problems that she helps them through.  Most of all I thought how thankful I am that our kids have a compassionate, trained nurse available at the school.  I’ve said it before, we are lucky to live here.

When I called upon Judy to deliver the pie she was definitely surprised and asked why I was giving her a pie.  When I told her how much I appreciated her dedication to our kids she was truly touched.  I was very pleased to be the one to bring her a gift and happy that I was in the right place to “catch” the idea.