Cooking is love made visible
Guest blog post by Sheila Dembowski
Back in 2010, my mother and I put together a collection of favorite recipes that various family members had selected. My mother carefully hand-wrote the recipes, making sure that all of the steps were listed so that others would have the ability to also make these treasured foods.
My mother loved to cook and bake. Our parent’s home was filled with the wonderful smells of fresh baked bread, hearty meats and gravies, garden fresh vegetables and always, some kind of dessert.
Our farm had a beautiful, huge garden. My mother prepared and canned many vegetables. She made jellies and gorgeous, homemade pies and cakes.
The kitchen was my mother’s domain and I remember helping her occasionally to prepare meals throughout the years. But later on in life, especially after my father’s passing, I became more active with her in the kitchen.
My mother enjoyed sharing stories of her early years of cooking as a newly-wed and about their first apartment, where they shared a “party line” telephone. She spent many trips up and down the stairwell, calling her mother-in-law and asking for cooking advice.
That sharing of knowledge and expertise is what makes cooking and baking such wonderful experiences. No one is born a cook - they are made - with love and patience.
I think about her every time I am in the kitchen, using her bowls, following her recipes… and that is its own gift. The gift that keeps on giving… kind of like love…
Sheila Dembowski
Spreading kindness as often as possible has been a goal of mine for years and I hope that my Kindness Boomerang newsletter does just that. I am an empath, mother, writer, teacher, librarian, and an ambassador of anything related to kindness. In essence, I love books, technology, writing every day, lengthy conversations, hearing my son laugh and spending quiet time every day being thankful.
What’s Your Story?
Many thanks to Sheila Dembowski for her sweet story in response to my Food, Family and Connection Substack post. I hope you will join Sheila and send in your stories about special foods, recipes, and moments of connection.
Below is the “call for stories” from that Substack post and details on how to send in your story. I look forward to hearing from you!
I suspect that all of us have some special dish or meal that carries extra meaning in our life. Smelling the food as it simmers, stirring the sauce, taking that first bite brings memories – both bitter and sweet - flooding back to us.
As we read the stories behind the foods, we can learn about each other’s backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and have more compassion for each other’s struggles and strengths.
Help us expand our tables and bridge our divides by sending in your short story (just 250 words) about a food or recipe and what it means to you and yours. We’ll post it here on Substack and on the Building Bridges Word by Word website. Here are some questions you might consider:
What foods have meaning for you?
Which ones help you to celebrate important milestones?
Which ones reflect your heritage, the struggles and strengths of your family?
Which ones remind you of someone special in your life, bring back shared memories or encourage the telling of family stories?
How to get started? Check out the guidelines and next steps in the button below. Questions? Email me at mscribner.buidlingbridgeswbw@gmail.com.
I look forward to working with you to share your story.
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