A Note to Readers and to Sita

Dear Friends,

I have written about the loss of my Sita’s raisin bread recipe.  Some of you have asked about the other foods she prepared in her kitchen.  Many of those recipes were  collected by one of Sita’s daughters, my Aunt Addie.  Initially, Addie published the recipes as a small, spiral-bound cookbook titled Feast from Famine which was distributed to members of the extended family. 

Aunt Addie was a remarkable cook in her own right, and after her death, her son, another of Sita’s grandchildren, Michael Shaheen, created a beautiful cookbook and food memoir titled Addie’s Way.  In addition to the recipes, Addie’s Way displays the gorgeous professional photography of another of Sita’s grandchildren, my cousin Nannette Bedway.  Food has never looked so good!

Addie’s Way by Michael Shaheen is available for purchase on Amazon.com.

Now, I ask that you please bear with me as I pen a quick note to my Sita:

Dear Sita
Your recipes are going out into the world, to places far from the small village where you knew everyone’s name and every crack in the sidewalk between your house and the church.

Your food provided sustenance for our bodies and your example, nourishment for our lives.

We can never know the extent of the suffering that brought you to this country.   We know that the journey was not easy, that you suffered more on route and in the years that followed.   And still, you were a model of faith, determination, kindness, generosity, and gratitude.

I hope that you can see us now.  You did well!  May all of our lives reflect the hope that was in your heart that momentous day when you bravely set sail for a brand new world.

With love and gratitude,
Lilli-ann

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