Dear Aunt Lila,It's always in the middle of the summer when I start thinking about you and my summers on your farm outside Portland, TN. Visiting you was an adventure -- your home a museum of family photos and handmade lace, your corn fields as far as I could see, and your energy everywhere.
"What can I fix you to eat?" was your constant mantra.
I can still hear you now, even though most of the time you were standing with your back to me cooking over a hot stove or putting homemade biscuits in the oven. Piled high on the counter were unshucked corn, tomatoes, squash, canteloupes, and something I refused to eat called spinach.
Late in the morning, we'd go strawberry pickin' and you showed me how to spot the best - the small, plump ones that were nearly lying on the ground ripened by the summer sun. Together we made shortcake, pies, turnovers, and jam and you let me play with the dough.
I thought of you today and made a cheesecake with the help of some dry ingredients in a box and a dash of lemon like you taught me and topped it off with layers of fresh strawberries sliced and positioned to resemble a star.
"Cooking soothes the soul," you once said to me.
And I needed that today. My best friend got word she has breast cancer and I was sad. And scared. And all I could do was cook something with strawberries and this was the best I could do. Thank you for those summers; I feel the farm and your strength with me and I will share it with my friend.
Love,
Gwen
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