What a day today has been! It started off in the usual way–got the kids off to school and met a friend for coffee. After a bit of good conversation, I got an urgent phone call. Come now. You’re needed at work.

OK. It’s good to be needed, but I was oh so sad to learn the reason–a dear friend of mine lost her grandmother today. Suddenly. It’s never easy to lose someone you love, but the suddenness makes it an even more bitter pill to swallow. Let me tell you something you probably already know. When you know someone you care about is grieving–it just rips your heart out. There’s nothing to be done. Prayers are important. Hugs are sometimes appreciated. But we’re just too human when stuff like this happens. Hearing someone’s voice when they’re hurting just makes you want to jump through the phone and feel it for them, so they don’t have to.

I baked her an Apple Pie. That lattice crust on top weaves together all the sadness, joy, and purpose of a life well lived. It can’t make things better. But it’s how I know to say, “I’m so, so sorry, and I love you.”

I had been planning to bake tonight anyway. I’m baking a few pies for a charity auction tomorrow night. I’m not really expecting any of them to bring in the big bucks, but it might provide something interesting for the folks with just a few bucks in their pockets (which is most of us these days, right?).

The first pie is Appleberry Pie , which has apples and blueberries. It went a little whacky in the oven, and I might not take that one–it probably tastes great, but look at that sloppy juice! Other pie-makers will surely laugh…we’ll see. On the other hand, people love a lattice crust. This one weaves together the 24 years of our little preschool. Years of growing, learning, loving, and hope. Years full of precious families full of dreams for their little ones, and dedicated teachers who cared enough to help get those dreams started.

Still in the oven (at 11:03 p.m., mind you–yawn) is Jack Daniels Pecan Chocolate Chip Pie, which ought to get a couple of bids because people cannot resist a pie with booze. It’s just the plain truth. I secretly (OK, not so secretly) hope no one bids on that one–I love that pie. It’s for a good cause, though, so I should share. 🙂

On a side note, our house is still on the market, and strangely enough, we’ve had two days in a row of showing it. So everything in the messy pie lady’s kitchen has gotta be S&S&N&N (straight & smooth & neat & nice–my dad always said that). I’ve got one more pie to whip up in the morning–Chocolate Chess. It’s not too tricky–only one bowl and 45 minutes to bake. Hopefully things’ll get tidied up early.

One thing’s for sure. A day with so many emotions woven through it has made this baker tired. So for now, I’m a dream weaver!