Investor,

Well, it’s that time of year again, Investor. There’s turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and yes, even that good ole pumpkin pie.

I have a short story about pumpkin pie:

My mother used to make it from scratch every year for as long as I can remember. This included her getting several oversized pumpkins from the store, gutting those suckers, making the filling from the REAL pumpkins, then even making the crust from rolled out dough that she made.

Okay, so I don’t cook much and I don’t really remember exactly what she did to make the pie.

Here’s what I do remember:

She made DOZENS of pumpkin pies. She would give several to each family member and then still have about 8 pies left over.

Don’t get me wrong. These pies were extremely tasty like no store-bought brand could hold a match to.

The problem: (1) Most people don’t really acquire a taste for pumpkin pie until later on in life so kids don’t enjoy it as much as adults do. (2) There were so many pies that we HAD to eat just to get rid of them…and who wants to keep eating ANYTHING that’s force-fed down your throat.

Yes, my mother MADE me eat pumpkin pie…year in and year out. She got to the point where she would PAY US $1 a slice just to get rid of these pies. And this happened EVERY YEAR! It was like a requirement for her to make too many pies and I still don’t understand the logic behind her tradition.

You would think that she would learn to only get maybe 1 pumpkin instead of 3 or 4. You would think that she would learn NOT to make so many damned pies…but she did. Every year. Without fail.

Today: I don’t eat pumpkin pie. When I do (to be polite at someone’s party, etc.) I don’t like it. I never eat the crust of ANY pie, no matter what kind of pie it is. In fact, I really don’t like pie at all but I tolerate banana cream and pecan every so often (again, no crust).

The funny thing is, a few months back I asked my brother if he liked pie. He also can’t stand ANY kind of pie.

And it goes back to those days, years ago, when we were paid $1 a slice to eat pumpkin pie because my mother simply made too many pies.

Here I am. It’s Thanskgiving of 2008.

And what I wouldn’t give for a slice of my mother’s pie.

Not because I like it (because I don’t). But because if I would have gotten a slice then it would only mean that my mother would still be with us today.

And she’s not.

She passed away suddenly of a brain tumor in July of 2005 at the young age of 52.

Now that’s she’s gone, there are so many things that I miss. Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday. She made EVERYTHING from scratch. No canned cranberries for her. No store-bought pies. No boxed mashed potatoes. Everything was made from scratch, including the spaghetti sauce for the stuffed shells she made me every year (since I’m a vegetarian and don’t eat turkey).

So, now I’m a bit older and wiser. I don’t take things for granted anymore. I see every moment as a blessing, especially now that I have a young baby girl. I feel grateful for every moment I’m alive and for the wonderful things life has brought to me.

And I hope you do, too.

When you sit down for your turkey dinner tomorrow, find a few things you can be grateful for and feel that appreciation from the center of your heart.

And if you are lucky enough to have your mother around, smother her with hugs and kisses.

And eat her pumpkin pie…even if you don’t like it!

Have a great Thanksgiving, Investor.

Your mentor,

Monica Main

Inom Inc, PO Box 220031, Newhall, CA 91322, USA