Priceless Present

At my grandmother‘s funeral, I asked my aunt for my grandmother’s chow chow recipe if she could find it. I knew it was a long shot, but it was worth asking. As time passed, I completely forgot about the request.

A couple months after the funeral, out of the blue I received a box in the mail from my aunt. I pulled out a ton of packaging material, and there, at the bottom of the box, sat my Grandmother’s cookbook. It has seen better days (as you can tell by the packing tape holding the spine together), but to me there wasn’t a more beautiful sight in the world.

Underneath the book sat an envelope filled with recipes written in my grandmother’s distinctive cursive. Some had dates on them and where she found them, and others were contributed by others.

I cried.

I also immediately knew what I was going to do with my stash. I sorted all the recipes by categories, and then I scanned them all, created a table of contents, and burned them to disks to give to my sisters for the holidays.

My aunt’s kindness gave the three of us a piece of our grandmother’s memory. Her selflessness in sharing this treasure with us will never be forgotten.

I hadn’t realized just how much I miss my grandma. Now I have a piece of her that I can hold on to forever. I’m looking forward to trying out the recipes in the new year. I’m sure her beautiful Southern drawl will be in my mind as I prepare these living connections to her.

Do you have family recipes that provide you a link to special relatives? or What has been your favorite priceless gift?