Recipe for Life

Life review, taking time to review our lives and the valuable relations we have formed, enables us to better feel our connection to life. Creating a life review is an important activity to accomplish when preparing for death as a rite of passage. I started my own life review by creating an inventory of those I want notified upon my death. Each of these people or animal friends share my life’s adventures. By writing about them I remember when I felt most awake, alive and engaged.

There are many ways to approach a life review. One of my favorites was created by a client who was a fabulous cook. She collected a selection of her favorite recipes and for each one, she wrote about a meal that included that dish. She noted who was at the meal and the importance of their conversation or the event that they were celebrating.

Here is an example:

“Anne and I sat at the breakfast table on a cool October afternoon. We could not wait for dinner to taste the pie that I had taken out of the oven. Anne looked lovely in her sloppy sweater and whimsical hairdo. As we savored the sweetness, she shared with me that she was a lesbian. I laid my dreams of weddings and son-in-laws on the table and stuffed them under my napkin.”

Caramel Apple Pie

Crust

¼ cup butter 1 egg yolk 1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup flour pinch of salt

Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg, flour and a pinch of salt. Pat and press the dough ¼ inch into greased pan. Make extra dough for latticed top. Place in refrigerator overnight.

Caramel Apple Filling

1 cup brown sugar ¼ cup milk cinnamon

½ cup butter 1 egg yolk

¼ cup milk 6 to 8 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

Mix butter, sugar and milk. Heat slowly until it thickens. Let cool somewhat. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract to complete the caramel sauce. Lay apple in rows on top of the dough and sprinkle with caramel sauce and cinnamon between layers. Create lattice crust on top with extra dough. Brush caramel sauce on top.

Preheat oven to 400 ̊ and bake pie 30 minutes until crust is well baked and apples are soft.

Subscribe to our newsletters to receive more ideas of preparing for death as a rite of passage.