My friend Grace

 

Krumkake

      This afternoon I was baking krumkake for the youth bake sale at church tomorrow. I began to think a bit about my friend Grace, she no longer remembers me, her mind has been taken over by Alzheimer's Disease but today while making krumkake she was close to my mind and I gave thanks for Grace. As a young child I remember Grace bringing krumkake to every potluck, bake sale, and other event at the church. Grace's krumkake is famous amongst our small church as clearly being superior to all others.
      One day my mother asked Grace to teach her and I how to make the cookies. I remember her coming to our house and I was maybe a third grader and at that time I was close to being able to look Grace straight in the eyes, she is a petite lady. She brought with her all the supplies we would need including her krumkake iron, she had the kind that goes on the stove, it looked well loved and treasured, I could tell then that it had been used countless number of times (I now have an electric one - it hasn't quite made the thousands of batches that Grace's has). I remember her patience with me as I put far far too much dough on the iron and I all too often wanted to open the iron to check on the cookies. Grace had it down to a fine science, she put on just the right amount and knew exactly how long to let the cookies cook. I on the other hand have a variety of sizes due to my still inability to get it quite right and I still open the iron far too much due to my lack of patience. But I remember Grace patient with me and carefully showing me the art of krumkake an old Norwegian favorite. And today I give thanks for Grace and her willingness to pass on an old traditional cookie to another generation and for teaching me about patience and love.