Second best holiday: Thanksgiving. It’s only second to Independence Day (because AMERICA, grilled meats, and fire – come on!). I love the food, the family, the chillax mentality….. Not to mention today was the first time I dragged out a heavy sweater this season (because we got like 9 feet of snow just today).
It’s in-law year. Meaning we don’t eat what I grew up on, am used to, in love with. That’s fine. It’s the every-other year thing that you just do 23 years of being married later. It just always leaves you with a little bit of a pit in your stomach. What if you don’t get any of MOM’S pie???
My Mom is REALLY good at making pie. Like REALLY good. I know. You’re probably thinking “pie isn’t even that good”, and you’re right. Until you’ve had a REALLY GOOD HOMEMADE PIE. When you have: there’s NOTHING better.
Mom is an amazing baker. I learned to make her blueberry muffins, her snickerdoodles, her homemade bread, her coffee cake, and even her sheetcake brownies. Never once in my life have I even ATTEMPTED to create the light, fluffy, delicate crust that melts in your mouth, let alone the delightful fillings, and INCHES of real, THIGH-BALLOONING heavy whipped cream. NEVER EVEN ATTEMPTED, nor would I dare.
When pie IS… honey, whip out the stretchy pants. I’ll eat one ALL BY MYSELF (ask my 6’6″ tall brother-in-law, I’ll eat him under the table).
“INCHES of real, THIGH-BALLOONING heavy whipped cream”
Then it happened while out for the pre-Thanksgiving mega-fajita-burrito dinner at the El Burrito, the anxiety had crossed my mind that tomorrow I might only be offered a store-bought pie, or something dumped onto a frozen crust. And while I fully intend to make it to the gym before the four-hour meal commences, I’d still have to declare, “It’s just not worth the calories.” and forego pie this year. Then it happened…. Dad called.
I ALWAYS answer when Dad calls because Dad NEVER calls, and (don’t tell her) but sometimes, I ignore my mom because she just wants details on things I don’t understand why she finds interesting – but when Dad calls, in the back of your mind you always worry something is wrong. Tonight – nothing was wrong.
“I’m at your front door with pie, and you’re not here.”
What a beautiful thing to hear after your 15 year old just licked his plate clean in like 90 seconds, then took 2/3rds of your dinner. Immediately the garage code was shared – and it was a race to get home to PIE!!!!
There’s always so much to be grateful for. I try to enjoy things I’m blessed with that are just abundance – ie “not have too many first-world problems”. I’ve seen the most abundant things, and the most destitute. So many things don’t matter. Like pie, they bring us fleeting moments of happiness.
More importantly, I try to cherish and be grateful for the little things that remind me that whether I have lots or little around me, I AM blessed to be surrounded by people who love me. Think of me. Feed me (pie and love!).
Thank you to everyone in my life who cares enough just to reach out and remind me that we have each other. That’s like having pie all the time.
(and yes, that picture up there is a picture of THE ACTUAL pie)