Vicki Saxon

My mother died relatively young at age 52, She missed out on seeing three of her four grandchildren and many of the shared family experiences we so often take for granted. As a consequence of losing her prematurely my sister and I have clung to whatever we could to preserve her memory. Although we visit the brick inscribed in her memory at the Botanical Garden regularly, no ritual brings me closer to her than recreating a treasured recipe from my childhood.

Every Thanksgiving my mother would make not an ordinary pumpkin pie but an elegant pumpkin chiffon pie. Anticipating that dessert became a highlight of our holiday.

I kept the recipe in her handwriting. For years each Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, I would send  my husband and children out to dinner so that I could have a moment of solitude in which to recreate my mother’s masterpiece and embrace past memories.

Everyone loves my mother’s recipe. When he first tasted it my son-in-law begged me to share it. A framed copy now occupies a place of honor in that next generation’s kitchen.