Archive | March, 2012

Day 340: Baby Elise

11 Mar


Ashland is a pretty small town and when you meet someone new and start a conversation, you are likely to find out that this new person and you have friends in common.  That was the case with Dustin and Tanya.  We met at the home of a mutual friend and shortly thereafter I found out that I knew Dustin’s Mom and her family pretty well. A short time later, when my husband needed to spend some time in Fort Klamath, Oregon, he stayed at a small place run by Tanya’s folks called, Jo’s Motel.

When Dustin and Tanya decided to get married last year, they asked if I would cater the event.  It was an honor to do so… and as you can see, they made a very handsome couple.

A few days ago, my friends Dustin and Tanya became the proud parents of beautiful little baby girl.  Baby Elise and Mom spent a few days in the hospital, and today Dustin brought them both home.  I’d arranged to bring them a pie as a welcome home Tanya/welcome to the world Elise gift.  I made an apple pie with dried cherries added in and topped it with a lattice crust…and because it was such a special occasion, I stopped to buy some French Vanilla ice cream to serve with it. We send our very heartiest congratulations and our very best wishes to the family.  We are so happy for you.

A new baby is like the beginning of all things-wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities.
— Eda J. Le Shan

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Day 339: Megan

10 Mar

Customer Service. What does that term conjure up for you?  If you have had bad customer service, researchers have found that you are likely to tell the story of that encounter to ten friends.  If you have had good service, you will likely tell only three people.  Why?  Maybe because we expect to receive decent customer service when we are paying for it that it doesn’t seem as important to share that news.  But when we receive bad customer service, it almost seems that we should warn our friends about it out of common courtesy.

Today I want to share a good story with you.  Last December I won a gift certificate to a place called “AesthetiSpa” in Grants Pass.  The trouble is, I hardly ever get to Grants Pass.  However, this weekend we were scheduled to go to Grants Pass to attend a fundraiser for the Josephine County Food Bank called, “First Crush.”  Since we were going that way, my daughter called to see if we could use our gift certificate to the spa.  When she called and spoke to Megan, she was told that  unfortunately the spa is closed on the weekend and we could not be scheduled for any of the services.

But then Megan did an amazing thing.  She told my daughter that there were products available for purchase and if we wanted to buy some of them, she would be happy to meet us at the spa so that we could spend our gift certificate!  My daughter said, “But the spa is closed… and it’s your day off!” to which Megan replied, “I don’t mind.  Ashland is a far drive for you.”  When my daughter got off the phone and told me that she added, “Mom, you really should make her a pie.  Who does something like that?”

Not many.  And that is why we brought a Chocolate Cheesecake Pie to Megan… to thank her for coming in when the business was closed (and no, it is not her business!) and going above and beyond for us.  We really, really, appreciate her taking the time to help us.  She is a gem.

One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others.
Lewis Carol

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Day 338: Sharon

9 Mar

Apple Crumb Pie

It was in the Fall of 2010 when I met Sharon.  She was in Kirby Shaw‘s choir (as was I) and in the same section as me (soprano).  After that initial meeting, I found out that we both had sons in the senior class at Ashland High School. Soon after, we both found ourselves on the committee that asked for and coordinated food donations from myriad businesses (My sincerest thanks to everyone that donated!  It was a smashing success!) for the Senior All-Night Party that followed graduation.  It was held at the Rogue Valley Family Fun Center.  What a night that was!  There was the initial chaos, but in short order, everything was under control thanks to Sharon and her husband, Tom.

Sharon and I share another similarity: like many of our peers, we find ourselves in the middle of life.  At one end we have children who are leaving (or preparing to leave) the nest, and at the other end, we have parents who are needing us more than before.  It is a challenging time that so many of us face, and yet, even though it is common occurrence, it is not without its difficulties.

Today when I thought of a pie recipient, Sharon came to mind. We spent a lot of time together in the last year and now that our kids have graduated, I hardly ever see her.  What has not changed though is that Sharon is still always thinking and taking care of other people.  In fact, when I went to deliver this pie to her door, she was at another friends door bringing help to them.

Tonight, I want to recognize and thank Sharon for her friendship, her selflessness, and her dedication (to her family and her community).  We are lucky to have people like her in our little hamlet.

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.  ~Douglas Pagels

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Day 337: Abdi

9 Mar

Chocolate Cream Pie

Many of the people who have received a pie from me in the last year have been teachers.  That should not come as a surprise to anyone… for I am the mother of two children – and I am grateful to the teachers that helped my children become the people that they are today.  As the saying goes, it takes a village….

One of the people in that village is Abdi. Abdiaziz Guled is a youth advocate at Ashland Middle School.  Well, that is the official title on the staff directory.  However, Abdi brings so much more to the kids at the middle school. He is always helping out, he is involved in leadership, and he is an incredibly enthusiastic coach.  My son told me that before a game, Abdi would have the kids form a circle and then he would lead them in an African chant. This would unite the team and get them pumped for the game.  You can see Abdi in action here.

To thank Abdi for his enthusiasm, his positivity, and his willingness to be a wonderful role model for our students, I brought him a Chocolate Cream Pie today.  We are so very lucky to have him.

“A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank…but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child.” — Forest Witcraft

Day 336: Mark

7 Mar

Apple Blackberry Pie

While they were at Ashland High School, both of my children had Mark for a class called “studio art.”  My daughter, Alexandra, came into his class as a senior and tried painting for the first time.  It was after she had had difficulties in another art class and so Alexandra was not sure how this class would go.  Soon after the class began, she was painting in oils, and her first painting was entered into a “best of the best” competition.  She was thrilled to have had that experience!

My own high school art experience was not as special.  In my only art class in high school, I came away discouraged after being told by my art teacher that my drawings were “awful.”  The only way to avoid any further embarrassment was to stay away from art… for years.  How I wish I’d had a teacher that was as encouraging as Mark!

This afternoon, I brought an Apple Blackberry Pie to Mark.  It was to thank him for giving his students a tremendous gift each and every day: the freedom to create art that they can love and be proud of.

“He who works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.”
― St. Francis of Assisi

 

 

 

Day 335: A Simple Gift

6 Mar

Bacon, Cheddar, and Onion Quiche

Sometimes in life we are privileged to be given the opportunity to help someone.  Several times over the past year, I have had the chance to bring a moment of happiness to someone; and often, it was someone I did not know.

Today I had another chance to do that… and I am humbled by the fact that a simple gift of pie can make a difference… and thankful that I was able do something to help.

I expect to pass through life but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do for any fellow being, let me do it now … as I shall not pass this way again.

Day 334: Happy 60th Birthday John!

5 Mar

A few days ago, my friend Janet asked me to make a pie for her brother-in-law, John.  Janet has known about my pie project since day one, and has been an ardent supporter, but this was the first time she suggested someone to gift a pie to.

John is married to Janet’s sister and this is what she had to say about John and her sister, “They live in Pennsylvania where he works in full-time Christian ministry for The Navigators, where he helps churches and pastors to work with their parishioners to help people have deeper and more meaningful relationships with Jesus.”

Janet’s sister is allergic to chocolate, and so the pie that I sent, was all about John.  And for someone who is always thinking and working for someone else, this pie was a gift just for him… and I hope that John enjoys every bite!

Janet wrote, “They live a fairly simple life, so this package was a real indulgence to him. He’s never had anything like this before.  He opened it and saw that it was a pie, thinking apple or something, then saw that it was “Brownie” and was even more delighted.”

I was honored to give a gift to John that was such a treat for him… for all that he does in his ministry.

Happy Birthday John… and thank you for all that you do!

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”
― C.S. Lewis

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Day 333: Coming Together

4 Mar

A few days ago I heard that a friend’s son was involved in an accident and that he was in the hospital.  The good news is that he is expected to fully recover; the “rest of the” news is that it will take some time to do so.

A friend of mine called the other day to ask if I would be interested in being “on call” for dinners as the family will have a lot to do when their son comes home, and of course, I said “yes.”  Today, when that same friend called to give me an update on the family, I asked if she thought a Chocolate Cream Pie would be appreciated.  We had a brief discussion, and decided, how could it not be?

I am always moved when, in moments like these, friends and community come together to help the person who is facing a difficult situation. In moments of crisis, we all want to help in some way or another, and usually preparing food is one area where we can actually “do something.”  Bringing food to someone in trouble is very common in many cultures; it is one need we can fill.

And so tonight I brought a Chocolate Cream Pie to our friends house (and put it in the cooler that was on the front porch) for the friends and family that will be there soon.  We send our love and good wishes for a speedy recovery and heartfelt thanks that the injuries weren’t much worse.

“There are no mistakes, no coincidences.  All events are blessings given to us to learn from.”  Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

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Day 332: Happy Birthday Princess!

3 Mar

When I was about four years old, my parents took me to Sunday School at the First Presbyterian Church of Staten Island. This had been my mother’s church when she was young and she must have still felt good about it to take me there.  However, I don’t really remember my mother attending church.  My guess is that she was mad at God because my baby sister had died and so for a long time she did not attend. However, for some reason she still wanted me to go.

My first teacher for Sunday School was Mrs. Henderson.  She was friendly, talkative, and she kept us entertained.  And best of all, I felt comfortable with her!  One of my classmates at that preschool class was Princess.  She was Mrs. Henderson’s daughter and she was a little bit older than me. Princess was not her real name, as you might have guessed.  It was the nickname that her Dad had given her, and all these years later, it is still the name that I call her. I think it is very sweet that her Dad considered her to be a Princess.

Princess is one of those friends that you don’t see for years, and then when you do get together with them, it is like time has stood still.  We are the same friends as always.  Today is Princess’ birthday.  Thursday I baked Princess a brownie pie, and sent it off to her home in Virginia so that it would arrive today.  I’ve not heard from her yet, but I can tell from the Facebook postings that she has had a wonderfully busy day.  So tonight I will send my dear friend Princess, the happiest of birthday wishes.  I am so very glad that we met all those years ago.

“A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.” Donna Roberts

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Day 331: Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss!

2 Mar

As many of you know, I have been a SMART reader for many years.  SMART stands for Start Making A Reader Today and is a literacy program begun in the early 1990’s in Portland, Oregon.  My husband, Emile, was a SMART volunteer for a year or so and then his company kept sending him out of town, so I began to fill in for him.  I felt that the kids that he was assigned to considered him a responsible adult, and if he was out of town and “did not show up” then how responsible could he be?  It was important to me that we show the kids that we were committed to them.

When we moved back to Ashland in 1995, we found that SMART had not yet come to the valley.  It was a few years before I could resume my volunteering with this program. What I love most about the program is helping kids enjoy reading. That is all that I am there for.  What is funny is that I don’t remember much about my early days of reading.  I do recall the books in first grade that went something like this: See Dick.  See Jane.  See Dick and Jane and their dog Spot.  At the time it was pretty heady stuff… but I am glad that books have changed a lot since then.

One of my favorite children’s authors is Dr. Seuss. I read all of his books to my kids over and over again and I thought that I was pretty good at reading them.  One day I was in the SMART room at Helman Elementary reading one of his more popular books, Green Eggs and Ham.  For those of you who were raised on Mars, this book tells the tale of a man who did not like Green Eggs and Ham.  On that day, I read the line “I do not like them, Sam-I-am”  to a little girl and the page showed the main character under water saying those words.

I read the words as I always have read them.  “I do not like them, Sam-I-am.” Then the little girl said to me, that is not how it goes.  I looked at her and thought, “excuse me?”  When I could speak I said, “Well how should I have said it?”  And then this little girl recited the words as if she was saying them under water!  Wow… I asked her how she knew how to do this and she said, “My Dad is an actor, and he told me that if you were underwater that is how you would sound.” And to think I had read that book a hundred times and never said it that way.  Amazing!  I’d learned a new way to read a Dr. Seuss book from a 6 year old girl!

Tonight I brought a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pie to that actor and his family.  How wonderful to have learned something new about reading at this late date!  It is a lesson I have not forgotten.  I continue to be a SMART reader today because I love helping kids learn to read and I feel it is one of the best things I have ever done.  And who knows what I may learn next?

“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”  Dr. Seuss

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