Tag Archives: Life is short

Goodbye, Love, and Apple Pie

18 Feb

apple pie prep

Apple Pie beginnings

In my last post, I asked what was so  good about goodbye.  The story behind that post was that an old friend is moving away from the area to live closer to his children and how much our community will miss him.  I mentioned that I was lucky to have been given the chance to say goodbye, because sometimes that is not possible.

Shortly after that post was published, a dear friend wrote to say that she’d lost a relative quite suddenly.  Saying goodbye was not really an option given the circumstances and that made his passing even more difficult.

My friend shared that her son was going to visit the family of the man who’d passed and when I offered to make a pie for the family, she accepted graciously.   It was all I could do to help and I was grateful for the chance to assuage the pain that she is feeling.

apple pie prep2

Almost ready for the oven!

This is not to say that a pie will make much of a difference; but it is the love that was sent with the pie that might.   After all, it is the very best thing that we have to offer one another on this journey called life.  And it is the only thing that makes it worth living.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  I Corinthians 13

“Life is short and we do not have too much time to gladden the hearts of those who travel with us; so be swift to love and make haste to be kind.” Henri-Frédéric Amiel

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” 
Mother Teresa

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Day 90: Sharing with Others

5 Jul


Each day I receive daily emails from a number of sources. Among them are the Animal Rescue site which helps animal shelters, What’s New from Sweeties (a contest site), and several recipe sites. Another one comes from “The Daily Om Horoscope“. They usually send a positive message or suggestion to help live a more peaceful, thoughtful life. A few days ago, this was the title of the email: Give to Show Gratitude.

That title sure seemed to coincide with what I am trying to do with my Pie a Day project. Here are two excerpts: “Sharing what we have with others is a wonderful means to acknowledge the ways in which the universe has been kind to us.” and “Accepting our lives as they are allows us to see that we have been given a lot by the universe and that when we give to others we are simply channeling the universal energy we have received into something beyond ourselves. Our good fortune can then become a conduit for the universe to work its mystery in this world. By giving to others, you will let the power of the universe work through you to make the world a better place.”

Sometimes when I am with my son and I come upon a situation where I am being asked to help – for example, a person asking for food – he will tell me that I don’t have to help everyone I see. And while I know that this is true, I feel that if I can help someone in need, at least a little bit, then I should do that. We never know when it will be us asking for help and will want others to be understanding and generous.

Today, I brought an Apple Pie to the young lady who came to my aid when I was hit by a car the other day. She was at work and I only stayed there a moment – but I wanted her to know that what she did was appreciated. She didn’t have to stop – but she did. And I am so grateful to her for taking time to help when she could easily have gone on her way.

Life is short and we have not much time, to gladden the hearts of those who travel the way with us,
So be swift to love, make haste to be kind, and may God’s blessings be with you today and always.

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