The Pursuit of Pastry
Jill's Story
Just before my 7th birthday we moved from Massachusetts to Washington state. We drove across the country and it was such a long trip. I left behind my friends and family and everything I had ever known. To say that I was sad and scared is an understatement.
We arrived at our new home on my actual birthday. I opened the fridge hoping to find a bottle of milk or a pitcher of Kool aid. Maybe even a jar of grape jelly. There were none of those things in there. As a matter of fact, there was only one thing in the fridge. It wasn’t a meatloaf dinner or a bowl of fruit but rather a cake box.
I peered inside and saw that it was a Winnie the Pooh cake. How could this be? We had just arrived. There was not time to have gotten a cake. And such a perfect cake. Winnie the Pooh was my absolute favorite!
I still do not know how my mother managed to make that happen. I don’t know if she called ahead to a neighbor, or the church, or a community member, and I never bothered to ask. All I know is that what I needed most that day was a cake, and somehow it was there.
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That is the day I learned the importance of cake. It has the power to make a little girl believe that she is home. That no matter what else has happened all week, a birthday is not forgotten. There may not be time or resources to fill the fridge with groceries, but a birthday must be remembered and celebrated.Thank you, Mom. You made sure that I knew I was special. You showed me that now, when I make cakes, I make them so other people will know they are special.
I have made hundreds or even thousands of cakes in my career and they are all held to that standard. Will it be good enough to let a little girl know she is the most special girl in the world? Even just for today?