Archive | August, 2011

Day 137: For Mikey

21 Aug

My daughter Alex writes a blog that you can see here. She shares her thoughts on fashion, food and living in Copenhagen. About a week ago she shared a post about a food blogger named Jenny who had lost her husband suddenly.

At the time, I was not able to read Jenny’s blog because I was gearing up for this past weekend’s wedding. However, today I took the time to read through some of it. If you can do this without crying (or at least choking up a bit) you are probably made of stone. My heart goes out to Jenny and her children during this very difficult time.

And this from Jenny’s blog: For those asking what they can do to help my healing process, make a peanut butter pie this Friday and share it with someone you love. Then hug them like there’s no tomorrow because today is the only guarantee we can count on.

How amazing that in her grief she came up with such a wonderful idea – asking us all to take the time to show our loved ones how much they mean to us – and to do so with such a delicious treat. It is similar to what I am doing with my pies – taking the time to focus on someone and let them know that they are cared for and appreciated.

Because this weekend is sort of an unusual one (our neighbor Daniel is visiting from Houston, and our Rotary exchange student Stephan is visiting from Germany), it seemed fitting to share this pie as part of our Sunday night family dinner with our dear neighbors. (I made only one change – I used gluten free peanut butter cookies for the crust).

I encourage you all to follow Jenny’s suggestion and make this pie- the recipe is easy, the pie is delicious and you will be spreading love in the world. What a lovely thing to do.

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Day 136: Daniel

20 Aug

Today has been quite a busy day. I catered a wedding for 175 and spent most of the day (it’s 11:27 right now) focusing on this event. And I think it all turned out well. The bride was beautiful, the groom dashing, and they were surrounded by friends and family. What more could they ask for?

Well, I knew that somehow I was going to fit a pie into my busy day. And as I began to roll out the dough this morning, I wondered, who would I bake for today? And then I remembered that Daniel, who grew up next door to us, was home for a short visit. Is there a better way to say that we care than with a pie?

There is a favorite family photo of Daniel and my son, taken when Coco was about 3. Daniel was reading to Coco on the couch in our living room. I can’t find that photo tonight – but I do have a photo of Coco and Daniel that was taken today. What pleases me most is that Coco and Daniel are still friends after so many years. We are so incredibly lucky to have found such wonderful neighbors!

Day 135: Losing a friend

19 Aug

A few weeks ago I gave a pie to my neighbor Shirley. We sat and talked about a number of things, and I asked her about a young man that I’d seen visiting her. She told me that he was her grandson Chris – and that he’d just lost his dog and was taking it hard.

I don’t know much about Chris at all. But what I do know is that he and that dog seemed to be inseparable. Chris would drive around in his black car with the windows rolled down and the dog would be seated next to him feeling the air on his face.

More recently, Chris would just walk his dog slowly because the dog had become ill. It was sad to see his dog struggle, but still so nice to see them together. And I know just how much he misses his dog now.

He said some folks have said, “Get another dog!” But I don’t think they understand that it’s not “just a dog” that’s missing – it’s his best friend. And when you lose your best friend, you need time to grieve.

I brought Chris an Apple Blueberry Pie tonight in memory of his best friend. It is a small gesture but sent with love and understanding.

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Day 134: Kathryn

18 Aug


Kathryn enjoying her pie
For the last few years I have been catering a variety of affairs including luncheons, memorial services, birthdays, and of course, weddings. I love to make yummy food (which you might have figured out by now) and also like to help people with their events. But to do this job right, I need the help of special people – and Kathryn is one of them.

She has been such a great person to work with. She is calm in the face of chaos (which can happen despite the best laid plans), helpful to and considerate of the guests, and fun to have around. And she raves about my cooking – and that is definitely appreciated!

I got to know Kathryn because she and and my son have been friends for years. In fact, they just completed their senior year of high school and they were co-presidents of the student body. They said that they planned on doing this since they were freshman and, by golly, they succeeded. They both put a lot of time and effort into their roles and took their positions seriously while also adding a bit of levity. We couldn’t have been prouder of their achievements.

Kathryn and Coco, aka, Mrs. Claus and Santa

Tomorrow Kathryn heads off to college. We knew this day was coming – and we are very excited that she will be pursuing her goals – but that doesn’t mean that we won’t miss her! Today I asked Kathryn’s Mom if it would be okay if I made a pie for their last dinner together for a while – and she said yes. Late in the afternoon, Kathryn stopped by where I was working to say goodbye and I was able to surprise her with a double crusted apple pie. We all wish her the very best and look forward to hearing about her adventures!

Kathryn’s friend Ian sure seems to like his pie!

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Day 133: My friend Sam

17 Aug

Sam and I met when we were students at Southern Oregon University . We were both in the Master in Management, or MIM, cohort that began in the Fall of 2006.

One day on a break in class, Sam came up to me and introduced herself. We had some things in common – most notably, that we were both mothers. It gave us an added dimension. Clearly we thought that school was important but we also had people waiting at home for us when class was done.

Soon Sam and I were commuting to class (in Medford) together. It gave us some time to talk about the subjects that we were studying and also some time to decompress on the way home. I really appreciated having someone to share that time with. It was much better than when I was driving to and from class on my own crying and wondering what (in the hell) I was doing going back for my masters.

Sam has always impressed me. She is a patient and caring mother to her daughter. She is adept at social media and often coaches me in this arena. And she is the first Caucasian that I have met that speaks Chinese fluently. When you call her cell phone she has a message in both English and Chinese. I think that is pretty remarkable.

Through these past four years, Samantha has been a cheerful, helpful, even keeled friend and I am so grateful for that. This afternoon, I brought her a Raspberry Rhubarb Pie. I simply wanted to let her know that I appreciate her friendship very much.

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Day 132: The Lifeguards at Daniel Meyer Pool

16 Aug

August 16th is a day that I will always remember. It was on that date that a boy that I cared a lot about drowned in a lake in upstate New York. I was seventeen and my world changed forever.

It was so strange to me that Michael could die in water – for I loved the water and was so comfortable there. I was even a part of the synchronized swimming team at my school. It never occurred to me that a 19-year-old boy would not be able to swim.

Fortunately I was not there to witness this event. I heard about it through the grapevine. Michael had been playing around in the water and must have panicked. His friend Charlie tried to save him but was being pulled under with him, and fighting for his own life, had to release him. I am sure that Charlie carries that memory still.

After this devastating occurrence, I tried to make sure that everyone I knew was able to swim. This “mission” began with my young cousins and nephews and continued on until I had children of my own.

My daughter, who has always been fearless, took to the water immediately. After my son was born, I took him to the “mommy and me” swim class but he was not happy unless he was clinging to me. It was a few years later that he had his first lesson.

Coco was about 2 1/2 when he first went to the Daniel Meyer Pool. He was in a small class and the instructor tried and tried but Coco would not get into the water with her. That’s when a man named Rich came over. I’m pretty sure that he was the head lifeguard. He saw the trouble that the instructor was having with Coco and told her that he would work with this kid.

It was amazing to watch Rich and Coco. First Rich asked Coco if he would like to jump into the water and Coco shook his head no. Then there was a quiet, lengthy conversation between them. And then I saw Coco jump from the side of the pool into Rich’s arms. I was stunned! I don’t know what he’d said, but Rich had convinced my son to take that leap. And before long, Coco was swimming underwater with his eyes open. I was totally amazed at the skill that Rich displayed in helping my son lose his fear of the water.

Today I brought an apple pie to the lifeguards at Daniel Meyer. I wanted to thank them for their commitment and patience in teaching our children how to swim. I hope they know how incredibly important their work is.

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Day 131: Ken

15 Aug


Ken and Stephan

My family met Ken more than 10 years ago when we were out hiking in the mountains. We kept going up and up and I couldn’t wait until we reached the summit. After what seemed like a very long time, there we were – at the top of the mountain. And what was there? A fire lookout tower!

I’d never been to a fire lookout tower before and really didn’t know much about them. The lookout, Ken, was happy to have some company and invited us in for a “tour.” That day I learned that from the tower you can see in all directions – and a fire lookouts job is to watch the surrounding area for signs of fire.

Ken remembers that on that first day I was not in a very good mood. I was hot and tired and didn’t seem much interested in the view. I looked around and found a photo album and began to flip through the pages. On one page I found a classmate from my college days and I asked Ken why he had a picture of this gal in his album. “That’s my daughter Lynn” he told me. It was incomprehensible to me that this man and my friend were related. What were the odds of that happening?

From that day we have made it a point to visit Ken at least once a year at his tower. I have always tried to bring him a treat of some kind or another. And today was no different. In fact, today I made two “pies.” The first pie was a sweet treat for Ken – a strawberry-raspberry-rhubarb crumb crust pie. And then I thought that by the time we got up to the tower it would be dinner time and so I baked a broccoli cheddar frittata (which is just a quiche without the crust).

As always, Ken was tickled to see us. He showed our exchange student Stephan all around the tower and explained how he located and called in a fire. And today Ken told us that there are only three lookouts left – that the rest of the towers have switched to using cameras instead of firefighters. He said it was a “cost-efficient” move. But we who have been to the top of the mountain, know that this kind of experience cannot be replaced with a camera.

Tonight I offer my thanks to all the men and women who have worked as fire lookouts. It is an incredible service that you have rendered to your community.

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Day 130: Pastor Connie

14 Aug

Several years ago, I was a part of the PNC at my church. What is a PNC? Well, that is the Pastor Nominating Committee. We were a group of seven church members who spent the better part of a year searching for a new minister. It was a long process, involving such tasks as reading the bios of almost 200 pastors, but I am happy to say that we succeeded. We found Connie, and what is most amazing, is that she lived only a few miles away.

Connie came to our church when we were struggling. She willingly accepted the challenges we presented to her and has worked fervently over the last two years to unite us, to teach us, to show us how to be the best version of ourselves.

It occurred to me that as a minister, Connie is always tending to the needs of others – and we do have about 150 people in our congregation. And then I wondered, who tends to the needs of the minister?

Today I delivered a spinach, onion and sun-dried tomato quiche to Connie. I want to thank her for her many hours of work on behalf of our congregation – and I want her to know that we appreciate her very much.

And now for some “church” humor:
A kindergarten teacher was walking around observing her classroom of children while they were drawing pictures. As she got to one girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.
The girl replied, “I’m drawing God.” The teacher paused and said, “But no one knows what God looks like.”
Without looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, “They will in a minute.”

Day 129: Stephan

13 Aug

Today the Medford Food Coop had its Grand Opening. Many people have been waiting for this event for a long time. And I know that the co-op staff has been working like crazy to make this happen.

My son (Coco), and my Rotary exchange student (Stephan) and I volunteered to help with the opening. Stephan and Coco directed parking, while I sat at a desk with Kay (another co-op spouse) helping folks get their co-op member cards. It was a lot of fun – and the time flew by!

It was about 2PM when we finally left the store to go home. We all were really tired but felt that the day had gone well. So many people had come to see the co-op and we received so many compliments about the fact that it was finally a reality.

When we were heading home I glanced in the back seat and saw that Stephan had dozed off. He had gotten up early and had worked about 5 hours in the hot parking lot. I knew that I wanted to give him a pie while he was here visiting – and what better way to say thanks for his help today than with a Chocolate Cream Pie?

We hosted Stephan in our home in the Spring of 2006. He is from Germany and was able to speak four languages. He was always trying to understand the nuances of (my) english. One day he asked if he could eat something that was in the fridge. I answered, “Sure, that’s fine.” And I was stopped cold in my tracks when Stephan asked, “Is it fine as in – Sure, fine go ahead and eat it (all the while sounding angry) or do you mean, “Okay, sure, it is fine” (and really being okay with it). It was so remarkable to me that Stephan had picked up on this subtle difference in the language (oh, and by the way, he did get to eat what he’d asked about).

The Rotary Exchange program has been a huge factor in our lives. Both of our children have gone on exchange (our daughter to Denmark, and our son to the Czech Republic) and we have learned through them that the world is really quite small; that we are all connected.

Last year we planned to visit Coco when he was in the Czech Republic and I contacted Stephan to let him know that we would be in Europe and hoped that we could see him as well. And as I had been hoping to visit Paris (since I was 19 or so) I sort of mentioned that I would like the chance to fit a short trip to France in our itinerary.

And as miracles sometimes do happen, Stephan (and his wonderful family) helped arrange for our family to visit Paris. We stayed in an apartment near his Grandma and shared Easter breakfast with his family. It was absolutely amazing!

We are so very happy to have had the chance to get to know Stephan – and his family – through the Rotary exchange program. Our lives are richer because of this experience – and we are all incredibly grateful.

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Day 128: Amber

12 Aug

Some days I know where my pie is going right from the start. Inside my cupboard I have a small slip of paper with a list of the birthdays of some of my friends – and as you may have guessed, today is Amber’s birthday.

Amber and I met a number of years ago at a restaurant where I was the head baker and she was a waitress. After a while, it seemed that waitressing was losing it’s appeal and Amber thought that she might like to give baking a try. She was an apt student and soon was preparing everything we served with ease. It was great to have someone who could do my job and who cared as much as I did.

Amber and I shared some special moments over the time that we worked together. I remember when she introduced me to the man that she would marry. I watched them as they shared a meal and was impressed by the way that they seemed oblivious to the people around them – that was something to see. And while I was not at her wedding (I think it was a “family only” affair) I did make a cake for the celebration. I was just tickled to be included in that small circle.

While we worked, Amber and I talked about many things – children, parents, and a host of other subjects. I am especially grateful to her for introducing me to the work of Marianne Williamson. I have referred to her book “A Return to Love” many times and seem to learn something new with each reading.

When I brought Amber her pie today, she reminded me that I had written “Happy Birthday” on the sidewalk outside her house when she lived near me. It had been so much fun to surprise her then. And it was equally special to surprise her today with an Apple Almond Pie. Amber, I hope that this birthday is as special as you are.

To close, I will leave you with this quote from A Return to Love:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Marianne Williamson

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