After my mother died, and I was going through all her things readying the house for sale, I came across one of her handwritten resumes. In the section titled, “Hobbies / Interests” she had written, “enjoy collecting cookbooks.” It was a bit of a revelation to me. How often had I shook my head in disbelief at how she continually bought more and more cookbooks, most from garage sales, yet never seemed to use any of them. Shamefully I suggested, on more than one occasion, that she should get rid of some of the cookbooks. They were all over the house. Reading that single line in her resume made my heart ache. I had never realized she was simply collecting them. Something she valued; something that gave her pleasure. And pleasure was something she had little of in her hard working life.
Something I have always treasured are the handwritten recipes handed down to me from my mom, now food-stained with tattered corners. And when her shaking hands no longer allowed her to write, she had my step-dad write recipes for me. They are among my most valued possessions, together with a small selection of her many cookbooks.
“I want you to stop running from thing to thing to thing, and to sit down at the table, to offer the people you love something humble and nourishing, like soup and bread, like a story, like a hand holding another hand while you pray. We live in a world that values us for how fast we go, for how much we accomplish, for how much life we can pack into one day. But I’m coming to believe it’s in the in-between spaces that our lives change, and that the real beauty lies there.”
– Shauna Niequist
So my lovelies, my wish for you this week is to make something humble and nourishing for those you love. May you share a story or two while enjoying some simple fair.
What a treasure, Diane!
I have both my Mom’s cookbooks and my Grandmother’s. My Grandmother’s was not a cookbook per se, as she rarely used a recipe, but more a notebook with a lot of handwritten notes. One of my favorites is the piece of paper containing her notes for making rice pudding (my absolute favorite dessert growing up). It is written on the back of an old voting ballot, and I just love it.
Such a great post, my friend, and thank you for the memories.
xo.
I remember you writing about your Mother, you did it so well.
The only writing I have from mine is a photograph of me and my Father with, on the back, ” this is her with her doll, waiting for Father to come home from the mine”.
My Mother never had a cookery book other than the one sold by a flour manufacturer. She always guessed how much of anything went into a cake. Much missed.
i got tears in my eyes when i read your first part about the cookbooks. my mother died a year ago this month and when i see her handwriting on old letters, etc., it’s such a pull. you know ?
a lovely post with a fine collection of images
the next to the last image reminds me of my grandmother’s yeast rolls (my mother’s mother)
it looks like your pie plate is an antique. little treasures are the best.