Tucking Sugar and Lemons

Bittersweet.  This emotion happens when you use objects that once belonged to someone you love.   It's joyful and honoring and painful.   Things don't matter.  People do.   However, the memories that are triggered by objects are valuable.   Especially when the memories belong to someone else.   

This pie pan has seen the inside of an oven hundreds of times.   My in-laws do dessert properly.   Often and Big.    This pan has carried apple pie, cherry pie and a really good lemon meringue.   But apparently not the actual lemon meringue recipe printed on the inside of the pie pan.  Ever.   My husband said he wanted to keep this pie pan of his mother's partly because he wanted to fulfill a childhood wish and make the recipe in the pan. 

My theory on why the pan recipe never happened is because the first step in the pie pan receipe is to bake the pie crust.   Then the recipe is covered.    Who wants to take the time to write out the recipe?   Tech saves the day.   I took a photo and off we went.  

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Lemon Meringue is scary.   It's best when the lemon curd is not runny.  But you don't know how you did until you cut into the pie.   No take backs with this pie.   We zested and thickened and measured and tasted.   Hauled the pie over to the big 4th of July BBQ and cut into the pie.   It was too goopy.  Oops.   Clearly needed more of the stirring constantly until thickens bit.  We ate the whole thing anyway.  I took another photo. 

I take photos of everything.  Receipts, lists, bills, library books, medication lists.  I recognize that there are far better information storage solutions than scrolling through photos but this plan fits my organized chaos personality.  It is also a great encourgement to me to tuck things I love in by things I don't like so much.    It's like saving a hug in storage for when I know I'll need one. 

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When I'm searching through my photo stream to find my car repair receipts or the business card to the pest control company and I run across happy shots I quit frowning. I end up calling the doctor or plumber with gratitude back intact. Sitting on hold while thinking about my hunk of a husband carrying a little pink 4th of July fairy frankly makes the world balance nicely. ​

It works offline as well. My purse certainly carries my wallet and license and insurance and other responsible adult items but I also have a glitter covered acorn and a smiley face finger puppet. Fun tucked in.

My bathroom mirror has a colorful note from my eldest. Its joy in the morning. Some of my tough issue files at work and home have Bible verses written on the inside cover. It makes opening the file and dealing with the problem easier. Try it. Purposefully put photos or verses or notes of joy with things that give you pain.

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You know those heirlooms you have; your grandmother's china, your mother's Bible, a watch from your dad ?  Use them.   I'm betting your loved ones would like it.  Our pie pan has a great history.    Now it has a new memory tucked in beside the old.   Lemon and Sugar.  Bittersweet.