Several years ago I fell while walking into a local pharmacy which caused me to be badly hurt, and for quite some time. During my couple/few years of downtime and in between frequent doctor’s and physical therapy visits I decided to gather recipes from my immediate and extended family and compile it in a cookbook. The ending result was a clip art covered, yellow, spiral-bound, 8 ½ x 11 portfolio of recipes, moving and funny anecdotes and family memories to last a lifetime.

I took at peek at that cookbook recently and realized that, while those memories are sure to last a lifetime the people and circumstances in it don’t always. Flipping through the flour-graced pages of one of them, I saw names of far too many loved ones who are no longer here, who, in 2006 were alive and vibrant enough to share some of their food favorites. I saw distinct changes in relationship statuses and submissions sent by persons who are in totally different phases of life since sent.

Looking through that recipe book, and being reminded of my love for food, especially when rooted in my love for family made me extremely grateful for the beauty of memories. If you’ve not asked your loved ones for their famous recipes, or taken the time to capture your family’s history of food in some written form I would definitely encourage you to do so. It’d be a shame for Big Mama or Uncle So and So to take their 30-year-old secret barbecue sauce or 7-Up pound cake recipe right on up to Heaven with them. Plus, spending time sharing the legacy of those special dishes you’ve come to know and love is a special way to spread more love, and make it last forever, in the words of the superstar crooner Keith Sweat. And while you’re at it, look at this recipe featured on one of the pages of my family’s cookbook.

Recipe For a Family Pie

1 handful of FORGIVENESS
1 heaping cupful of LOVE
1 pound of UNSELFISHNESS
2 tablespoons of GOOD NATURE
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Mix together smoothly with complete FAITH in GOD.
Then sprinkle generously with THOUGHTFULNESS.
This makes a wonderful Family Pie.
ENJOY !!!

@AngelaMMoore316