A Family Recipe

My family loves the fall. We look forward to all the new school activities, promotion Sunday at church and the change in the weather. Nothing however, seems to excite my family more like the topic of our fall menu. That’s right, the food!

My family loves the fall. We look forward to all the new school activities, promotion Sunday at church and the change in the weather. Nothing however, seems to excite my family more like the topic of our fall menu. That’s right, the food!

At the end of each September the conversation at our dinner table involves making sure none of the traditional dishes my husband and I make in the fall change. We promise our kids to stay true to our recipes even though we get tempted to substitute what has worked for years. At times we have considered switching to the popular recipes, but none have ever replaced the few we have consistently made over the past twenty years. We have experimented, but we always go back to the original. It all started with a wonderful woman who took the time to show me the significance of a home. My mother-in-law Virginia gave me recipes, advice and spent countless hours with me. She took the time to know me, my heart and my favorite things.

Virginia knew I loved recipes. She would give me several every time I visited. She knew I especially loved those handed down from one generation to the next. You see, with every ingredient listed comes a sense of familiarity, a memory and even a characteristic of the person who wrote it. The spices speak of the idiosyncrasies of the creator. It reveals what they love. “A dash of cinnamon gives it that extra touch of home,” says one. While another says, “Add extra cayenne to make life spicy.” The instructions share words of wisdom. “Gently fold as if stroking your baby with love.” One of my favorite recipe advises, “Mix with gusto like it’s the last day of your life.”

Nestled carefully in a wooden box the recipes of this cherished woman live on. The smell of her pecan pie that permeates my house in the fall brings waves of memories. Her pie crust soaked in sticky-sweet sauce reminds me of the last time I sat with her. Her kitchen’s aroma of baked goods along with the pine smell of a Christmas tree ready for its trimmings created the perfect atmosphere. It felt like home. She poured the coffee and served me a piece of pie. As she carefully placed it on my plate she whispered,“Serve your family with love and they will always want to come home.”

This October, we will pull out all of Virginia’s recipes and make pies, her traditional Chex mix and hot cheese dip. My kids will get to know their Memaw even though they never got to hold her hand, kiss her cheek or hug on her neck. They will want to hear stories of her life and how she loved her family. My husband will miss his mom greatly, but will see her in the eyes of our kids. He will remember that we will see her again soon. And I will glorify God for giving me another moment to serve my family. Oh, we do love the fall!

How are you serving your family this fall? What keeps you from showing them how much you love them? What “life recipe” do you have that needs to be pulled out again? Do you have one that pulls you away from your family? If so, throw it away and go back to the one God keeps calling you to put into practice.