LOVE and Warm Apples.

It's interesting how baking can really be soothing. While listening to some fine music and slicing apples, I thought of how nice it felt and the beauty of slicing fruit for a dessert - the calmness, warmth, memories and joy it brings. Apple Crisp is an all time family favorite and comfort food. It's the dessert of love. Sharing love. Sharing warm comfort and pretty much saying "I love you" to family and those close. It fills your home with the smell of warm apples and cinnamon. It brings warm memories and love. Warm apples are simply combined with cinnamon and sugar with a toasted, crunchy topping.. beautiful. Baked together to create pure comfort and bliss. If one must Enjoy the Simple Things -- there is nothing better than this.

It's funny the thoughts going through my head while slicing apples. Five minutes of complete joy and comfort, thinking of the simplicity this little moment brings and how everything else completely disappears. Everything is just warm. Like when you eat it. But while slicing apples and enjoying the moment, while coming to the last bit of apples, I suddenly thought of the fact that this was only the second time cutting apples in the past 3 years. Then my eyes filled with tears. But 3 years ago, the apples I sliced for the pie I was making was just the beginning of one long night. I believed the apple pie I made played a part in karma. NO REALLY. Baked Apples with love will save the day. Always. Well, with this thought of what Apple Pie reminds me of - good times, and bad times.. it's kind of like life, full of good and bad.. but it's all good. After 30 seconds of watery eyes that didn't shed a tear, I suddenly smiled, This apple crisp is going to a coworker who watched my dog for me a couple of days, and is having a bad weekend because she has to put her own dog to sleep. It's the joy and comfort that warm cinnamon apples brings that overrides all. In the end.. LOVE WINS. While such desserts can bring joy and comfort, we also have memories of people attached to them. My grandma loves to cook apples and I have fond memories of her cooking (maybe a bit too old and mushy apples) and making apple crisp with my mother while young and it always being a comfort food after family dinners. So we must share Apple Pie for love.

The past few weeks I've really been appreciating what I have. It's amazing how we learn from moves we make and keep on growing. I've been thinking lately that I am truely blessed with life and gifts that I have, and blessed to be in a great town with some good people. I realize that Sioux Falls is incredibly good for me at this time and I am grateful for people in this town and happy to be here. I realize that moving from Brookings was really good for me and I have everything I need in this moment. We all carry a lot with us day to day and within our lives, but I am incredibly blessed and grateful for the good life I have and the bad things that come to help me grow the way I need to and appreciate what's most important. I am happy for love, grateful for my wonderful comforting pup. It's important to keep the bad away and focus on the good. I've been doing that a lot lately. It's important to keep the people whom are good for us in our lives and let them know how we feel. Thank you to kind folks and friends. I wish I could share warm Apple Crisp with you all. Much love.