GRANDMA BEAR-Y AND THE BLACKBERRY PIE
Grandma Bear-y opened the door to her oven, and the aroma of freshly baked blackberry pie filled the kitchen. It had been a long time since she had made a blackberry pie. Blackberry pie had been Grandpa Bear-y’s favorite kind of dessert, but since he had passed away a couple of years ago, it had been too difficult for Grandma Bear-y to make her famous recipe – she had burst into tears every time she had tried. But she knew how much her grandbears loved blackberry pie, so she had decided to try and make the delicious dessert for the holiday season. And not only did the grandbears love eating it, but secretly Grandma Bear-y loved making blackberry pie as well.
Bam! The front door to Grandma Bear-y’s home burst open, and her grandbears came scampering into the kitchen, followed not too far behind by their mom and dad. “Grandma, Grandma!” the grandbears cried, as they hugged her tightly around the waist. “What’s that smell? It smells like blackberry pie!”
“It IS blackberry pie!” said Grandma Bear-y. “I decided it’s been way too long since I made it for dessert. I still miss your grandpa terribly at times, but it’s not fair to keep the rest of you from enjoying something that you love so much. So here it is!” She placed the freshly baked blackberry pie on the kitchen table, and cut several large slices for everyone to enjoy.
“Dee-licious!” said the family of bears, as they gobbled up the blackberry pie. “We’ve missed this so much!”
“I know,” said Grandma Bear-y. “I’m sorry it’s been such a long season of grief. It’s just that I’ve really, really missed your grandpa.”
“We understand,” said the littlest grandbear. “But I’m glad you’re back in action!”
“Me, too!” said Grandma Bear-y softly, as she placed the rest of the blackberry pie in a container for later. “Me, too!”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Grandma Bear-y loves to bake blackberry pies. What are some of the things that you love to do? These are the “arts that are in your heart!”
2. Grandma Bear-y stopped making blackberry pies for a long period of time, because she became sad every time she tried making Grandpa Bear-y’s favorite dessert. Is there anything that you like to do that you stopped doing for a period of time because it made you sad, or for some other reason? If you haven’t started doing the activities that you love doing yet, maybe now is a good time to begin again!
3. When we do the things that we love to do, not only do we experience joy, but many times people around us are blessed as well. For example, when Grandma Bear-y baked blackberry pies, she enjoyed the process, and her family loved eating the pies! What are some things that you enjoy doing that are also a blessing to others? Perhaps you enjoy taking photographs and other people enjoy seeing them, or maybe you like to sing and others enjoy listening to you! Do what you love to do, and be a blessing to the world around you!
RESOURCES
Grandma Bear-y loves baking pies, even though she stopped for a while after Grandpa Bear-y passed away. Here are some resources about the culinary arts and also about handling grief that you might want to explore:
Food Network
Cooking with Kids
America’s Test Kitchen
Simply Recipes
GriefShare
Jump Into The Arts 