{"id":9318,"date":"2021-05-07T07:04:22","date_gmt":"2021-05-07T13:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/?p=9318"},"modified":"2021-05-22T06:29:02","modified_gmt":"2021-05-22T12:29:02","slug":"the-worthiness-piece-you-might-not-know-is-missing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/2021\/05\/07\/the-worthiness-piece-you-might-not-know-is-missing\/","title":{"rendered":"The Worthiness Piece You Might Not Know is Missing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After going years without making this pie, I\u2019ve made it twice in a month\u2019s time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s truly the best Key Lime Pie I\u2019ve ever tasted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first time I tried it was after kidney surgery in July of 2015. A neighbor I didn\u2019t know very well at the time unexpectedly dropped it off at my house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had absolutely no appetite, but this cool, creamy pie actually sounded quite good. I ate my share and then some, much to my family\u2019s disappointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long after the pie was gone, the healing impact of the gesture remained. I was struck by the fact that my neighbor deemed me worthy of the time, effort, and ingredients required to bake that beautiful pie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some loving gestures catch us at the right time, filling an emotional emptiness we didn\u2019t know we had. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was the pie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It meant something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I found myself digging out the recipe on Easter Sunday and then again, a few weeks ago, for my mother-in-law\u2019s visit after a long year apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve been making this pie a lot,\u201d my family happily noticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I noticed too \u2013 and I wondered if there was an underlying reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An exchange with a friend at the cluster mailboxes in our neighborhood the other day clued me in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she saw me limping, she asked how things were going with my foot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I unexpectedly blurted out that I\u2019d had an MRI, and it revealed I need surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPromise me you\u2019ll tell me the procedure date when it gets scheduled,\u201d my friend implored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Promise me<\/em>, she said.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Those were her exact words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She knows \u2026
I\u2019d prefer to suffer in silence than have anyone go to any trouble for me.
I\u2019d prefer offers of support be extended to those who have greater needs than I do.
I\u2019d prefer to be the one who helps, not the one who is <\/em>helped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when my friend placed her hand over her heart and said, \u201cIt would be my honor show up for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My eyes started watering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honor <\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I know about that\u2014
To BE the pie bearer is an honor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s how I feel when I visit the supermarket cashier who walked all the way around the checkout counter to hug me when my cat Banjo was very sick a few years ago. I ended up writing a letter to the CEO of the grocery store chain to ensure he knew about this remarkable woman who cares for all her customers like she cared for me that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From that moment on, Ms. S called me \u201cher angel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she had to stop working at the store due to health issues, she gave me her address and phone number and told me to visit anytime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I drive to her home with flowers and cards, I think about the photo she showed me of herself in her younger days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI used to be beautiful,\u201d she said wistfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is my honor to make sure she knows she is still<\/em> beautiful and worthy of flowers and citrus streusel bread and friendship and prayers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ms. S says my visits seem to come just when she needs to know she has not been forgotten.

I think about the pie \u2013 
and how it meant something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Jessica Lahey\u2019s remarkable new book, The Addiction Inoculation<\/a><\/em>, there\u2019s a section I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll ever forget. In it, Jess offers several pieces of advice to teens who suspect a peer may have substance abuse issues. She writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBe the first piece of the puzzle.<\/strong> <\/em>

I often use a puzzle metaphor when talking to kids about substance abuse. Hardly anyone stops drinking or using drugs when the first person mentions there might be a problem, and it may not be until the fiftieth person says something. But without person one through forty-nine, there is no fiftieth person.\u201d (p. 200)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t seem to stop thinking about that powerful concept. I wonder if it works with other things like:
Worthiness
Significance 
Hope 
Healing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think about the pie bearers, realizing at some point, one of them offers the worthiness piece that makes the belief finally sink in\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am worth the trouble.<\/em>
I am worthy of the best ingredients.<\/em>
I am worthy of recognition from the CEO.<\/em>
I am worth the time.<\/em>
I am worth the effort.<\/em>
I am worthy of having my needs met, my dreams fulfilled.<\/em>
I am worthy of a pain-free life.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day that belief finally sinks in might just be the day\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the long overdue appointment is made<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the buried dream surfaces<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the brave first step is taken<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the help is accepted<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the boundary is set<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the self-care is implemented<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the answer becomes clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of this\u2026 because someone filled an emotional emptiness with a piece the hurting person didn\u2019t even know was missing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear ones, please never underestimate the power of being the pie bearer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And please never underestimate the power in receiving the pie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter what side you\u2019re on, you are worthy of a big, beautiful slice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

My friends, I always think of May as a month where we often recognize the people who show up for us in life. In honor of that, the gorgeous LIVE LOVE NOW cuffs<\/a> are Buy One, Get One Free. Get one for you and friend\u2026 you and your family member\u2026 you and a teacher\u2026 you and a co-worker\u2026 you and medical professional. Simply click here<\/a> to shop and use the code: LLNBOGO at checkout. Offer good through May 12 or until the bracelets run out.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you are looking for a very special, restorative gift for yourself and\/or someone you love, please keep in mind the SOUL SHIFT weekend retreat <\/a>happening in the mountains of Boone, NC Nov. 5-7. I am determined to be all healed by then so we can walk the gorgeous grounds together! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, and the recipe for the pie can be found here <\/a>or on the bottle of Nellie and Joe\u2019s Key Lime juice\u2014just be sure to add a 1\/2 cup of whipping cream to the condensed milk, egg yolks, and key lime juice mixture to make it taste even better.<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Buy one, get one free – supply is limited<\/a>, so don't wait if interested<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After going years without making this pie, I\u2019ve made it twice in a month\u2019s time. It\u2019s truly the best Key Lime Pie I\u2019ve ever tasted. The first time I tried it was after kidney surgery in July of 2015. A neighbor I didn\u2019t know very well at the time unexpectedly dropped it off at my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1766,1780,1747,1760,1753,1736,1763,1745,1781],"tags":[],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_3794-scaled.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1fUJF-2qi","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9318"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9318"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9318\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}