Angie Arndt
Several years before she died, my
mother-in-law asked me to name my favorite Bible story. I told her it was the
story of Ruth. Not too many moments before we'd been having a heated argument
about something insignificant – not a unique experience. My answer, the Bible
story chronicling the love between a daughter-in-law and mother-in-law, left
her speechless – definitely a unique experience!
By the time I'd married her youngest
son, she'd been a widow for more than a decade. Her husband, a handsome Naval
officer, died at age 54 after a series of heart attacks that began when he was
just 32-years-old. So, as her friends were making travel plans with their
retired spouses, my mother-in-law was learning to live alone for the first time
in her life. In the eyes of those around her, she grew stubborn and
hard-to-please. She was just as Naomi must have been to have changed her name
to Mara … bitter.
My mother-in-law was a typical
Southern woman, accustomed to a rigidly-structured, matriarchal society. There
were strict rules: "when ironing a dress shirt start with the sleeves
first" or "homemade pie crusts are best." As a newlywed and her
next-door neighbor, at first I would quietly listen and then do whatever I
pleased. (Someone had to keep the dry cleaners and grocery stores in business!)
But later, I grew more confident. If she had a strong opinion on a topic, I had
an equally-strong-but-opposite opinion. We argued about everything from careers
to wall colors. (My poor husband!)
When she developed cancer, I was
given "the opportunity" to help care for her. I took that opportunity
with much fear and trembling. As I watched her valiantly win that long battle
against cancer, my attitudes changed. What I thought was stubbornness was
actually courage and tenacity. What I took for offensiveness really meant she
trusted me enough to be candid. Five years later, when she lost her battle to
congestive heart failure, I realized that being able to care for her had been a
gift from God. She had become my friend.
I still miss her. I even miss our
arguments. As I write this, I wonder, could Ruth have been strong enough to
make it in a foreign land without Naomi? I don't think so.
Here is my
mother-in-law's recipe for lemon chess pie. A little sour, a little
bitter, but oh-so-sweet and worth the trouble!
Lemon Chess Pie
1 cup of sugar
½ stick of margarine or butter
2 eggs
Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
Unbaked pie crust
Cream butter and sugar in mixer. Add unbeaten eggs, one at a time. Then, add juice and rind together with salt. Pour into pie crust and bake slowly for 20 – 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Makes one pie.
Lemon Chess Pie
1 cup of sugar
½ stick of margarine or butter
2 eggs
Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
Unbaked pie crust
Cream butter and sugar in mixer. Add unbeaten eggs, one at a time. Then, add juice and rind together with salt. Pour into pie crust and bake slowly for 20 – 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Makes one pie.
What about you? Do you have any
Lemon Chess Relationships?
A delicious fall recipe and a beautiful family reflection!
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