Several years ago, I was intrigued by an award winning recipe I had read about in USA TODAY. It was for Apple Pie, my favorite dessert. There are few things I love more than homemade apple pie and with Thanksgiving approaching, I salivated. We had been at my grandmothers for a fall trip to the beautiful western North Carolina mountains. My grandmother had a small apple orchard on the hill in front of her home, so I picked organically grown Wine Sap apples late in October in anticipation of making a great pie for Thanksgiving. The award winning article included a recipe for whole wheat crust as well as a cranberry strudel for topping. I couldn’t wait to dive into this project and thought about it way more that I want to admit in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. As we traveled to be with family on Wednesday before the great all American eat-a-thon, I thought about the fabulous dessert project awaiting me. I carefully planned and reviewed the ingredients again in my mind. When Thursday morning arrived, I was up with the sun and greeted by my grandmother in her kitchen. As she put the finishing touches on the turkey, I began laying out the ingredients. Then I started washing and preparing the apples. With her much needed assistance and encouraging instructions I began making the filling and pie crust. Since my previous pie experience consisted of visiting Mrs. Smith in the frozen food aisle, I was both anxious and excited about how it would turn out. Although I grew up baking ginger bread men and making oatmeal and raisin cookies with grandma, this was out of my league. Despite the fact that I might have pulled it off without grandma, having her there to help me peel and cut the apples and give me needed instruction on the crust preparation was invaluable. More than anything, I appreciated the company and encouragement, as this pie took about as long to make as the turkey did to cook. Knowing that I had 70 years of baking experience in that kitchen gave me a little more confidence that things would turn out. As I got further into it, I realized a few things-

• Making a homemade pie was taking much longer than I had anticipated.
• The pieces would be pretty small if EVERYONE were to have some.
• I was missing the Thanksgiving Day parade and the great conversation that was happening elsewhere in the house, (I was probably being talked about!).
• If things didn’t progress more quickly, the pie would not be finished before the feast.
• Mrs. Smith would get my business next year.
• The Dallas Cowboy game would be starting soon.

When the pie came out of the oven AFTER lunch, I felt as proud as I have felt about any accomplishment I have had in the kitchen. (I realized that wasn’t saying too much for a guy who has mastered the one course meal, or prepared meals, almost always centered around tuna fish). The accolades were sincere, even if they were mixed in with ribbing from my three older brothers. The very best part of all was the time I had spent talking with my grandmother as she coached me through the process. Though I have only made the pie once since then, the memory of the experience will last a lifetime. That’s what the holidays are about to me; making or starting rich traditions and making lasting memories.

I’d suggest this season would be a good time to start doing both.

In memory of Alta Faye Bunton b. November 23, 1911, d. June 30, 2006

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com