Pie: Family recipes, how to’s and stories

I've long aspired to live as a learner. The question, "What's life trying to teach me about myself and my world?" has helped me find meaning amid the madness and tragedy that sometimes engulf our personal, professional, or political lives.

There's an old quip about the desperate soul who cries out, "Please! No more learning experiences!" Believe me, I know the feeling. But I also know that the less time I spend fearing or getting angry at what's happening, and the more time I spend learning from it, the better off I am. So are the people whose lives I touch.

That's why I love this quote from T.H. White's classic novel, "The Once and Future King," based on the legend of King Arthur. Here, the wizard Merlyn—who's been entrusted with educating the future king—is speaking to the young Arthur at what we'd call a "teachable moment."

Memo to Self: Keep looking for teachable moments. When you find one, remember: "Learning is the thing for you!" You may not like what you learn about yourself or the world. But if you learn it well, it might allow you to become an agent of transformation when you see "the world around you devastated by evil lunatics.” Never, ever allow them to have the last word...

[My 10 books are at http://tiny.cc/47kgyz AND http://tiny.cc/5rcmuz.]

Posting tomorrow, June 27, on my Substack newsletter, "How Are You Keeping." My place for exploring love, community, pie, and more.

Pie, Devotion, Eternity From the time my eyes could see over the countertop, I watched my grandmother prepare her pies. The doors of her Hoosier cabinet held shelves for spices, hooks for measuring spoons and cups, a rack to hold an open cookbook. It had a bin for sugar and one for flour with a built-in sifter. She peeled....