Recipe Box : noun
Definition: My mother’s way of keeping recipes treasured from family, friends, etc.
Let’s be honest, my mother will probably never read this blog. The complexity of the computer is too much for her to tackle. But if I ask her for a recipe, she is always able to walk right to that wooden box that she has had FOREVER and pull out the properly filed recipe in a flash. As a little girl, I looked through Mom’s recipe box often, treasuring the recipes that my grandmother had passed down to all her daughters. I only knew my grandmother as a very little girl, so this tangible item created imaginary moments of play and a sad longing for interaction with a woman I never really got to know.
Truth told, I tried to keep a recipe box over the years, but I find that it is just too difficult. Mine are never filed, usually food spattered and gooky, or scattered around the kitchen in a multitude of cabinets and drawers. If someone asks for a recipe, I tell them I will call them back if I manage to find it.
My first recipe box was a gift for a wedding shower. Betty provided a green plastic flip-top box, and asked all the guests to bring a favorite recipe to the shower to share. (Remember – I had never cooked…) Valiantly, I tried every recipe at least once. Some were good, some were not particularly my taste, but there was something very special about pulling out a recipe from Gwen, or Tammy, or Mrs. B, or Joann.
When we are young, we don’t seem to see things too far ahead in the future. Little did I know where life was leading at that time. But, true to form, “Life” intruded – people moved away, children were born, couples divorced, people died- you know -LIFE.
About 18 months ago, I had a profoundly moving moment. While fumbling through my recipe box, I found the recipe given to me at my bridal shower by Kim. Kim passed away about 5 years ago after a long battle with a brain tumor. Holding the recipe in my hand I realized for the first time the power of handwriting. The moment was bittersweet. Seeing her carefully penned directions on that card brought so many memories crashing back--her indescribable musical gift and talent as an organist and pianist; her beautiful heart-shaped smile. Watching her run down the street while 8½ months pregnant and asking her if she “should really be running when so close to delivery” as well as the details of her not-so-easy short life-dating, marriage, birth of children, a rocky marriage and divorce, a remarriage, and then the fight that finally took her life. Kim was my friend and I miss her.
Reflecting on these snippets of time, I realized how short our time is and how precious we are to those whose lives we touch. Close friends, casual acquaintances, family, friend, or foe – these are the people God places in our lives to make us into the people He wants us to be.
All this to say, even though I am writing a blog, and sharing my thoughts and recipes online, I encourage each person to find a pen and a recipe card, and share a recipe with those you love. It may become a precious treasure in the days to come.
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