Martin House Pie

My sister-in-law, Marcia bakes the best pie in the Midwest.  People come from all around and stand in line just to buy a slice of her pie.  She doesn’t sell her pie, but has a suggested donation of $1.00 to help recoup some of her expenses.  Needless to say, she’s losing money!  Why, you can’t buy a slice of store-bought, junk-filled pie for less than $3.00!  We’ve tried to encourage her to increase her suggested donation, but so far she hasn’t budged.  Sadly, most people want something for nothing so it never dawns on them that paying only a $1.00 is ultimately taking advantage of Marica’s generous heart.  It is a rare customer who offers her more.  Seeing that her expenses are increasing annually, Marcia conceded to letting me make a little sign to help people understand, in a fun-loving way, how much goes into a slice of pie.  I titled it,

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IT’S WORTH?

Customer: How much is your pie, ma’am?

Martin House Baker: Well…. Let me see:

·       We hand-picked each piece of fruit in the hot scorching sun.

·       We washed, pitted and peeled each fruit by hand.

·       We hand-mixed all the filling ingredients.

·       We rolled each layer of pie crust until it’s paper thin.

·       We chopped and hauled loads of wood for the oven in the frigid cold.

·       We baked 80+ pies, in the heat of the day, over a wood burning oven.

·       We hand-carried water to wash the baked-on stickiness of pie plates.

·       And… we emptied nearly every ounce of love that is in us into each and every mouth-watering slice of pie!

Why, I don’t know….what would you say it’s worth?

While her customers may still not get the message, Marcia’s greatest reward is the fun that she has baking for others and watching them enjoy her labor of love!  She’ll quietly and humbly serve you a slice of her labor and never think to ask, “What would you say it’s worth?”

Whole-Heartedly,

Bonnie

P.S.  Please feel free to contact me with questions, thoughts, topics you’d like to ponder or to read past articles at: http://whole-heartedlife.blogspot.com/.  You may also contact me at:

             Bonnie Jaeckle

             In Search of the Whole-Hearted Life

             Diagonal Progress

             505 Jefferson St.

             Diagonal, IA 50845