Lemon meringue pie has always been a staple in my family and is present at every family gathering on my mother's side.   I have many fond memories of helping my grandma make this dessert.  It was my grandpa's favorite dessert and is a recipe that has been passed down through many generations.  His family came to Inglewood, California from Detroit, Michigan in roughly 1915.  In Inglewood, my great-grandma had a huge garden with many flowers and fruit trees, thus the making of lemon meringue pie began.  This pie brings smiles to people's faces, is a delicious tradition, can comfort hurts that words can't, and is even remembered by family members affected with Alzheimer's.  Recently, my Uncle Dick (my grandpa's brother) went to visit his aunt Rosemary who is 98 years old and living in a nursing home due to Alzheimer's.  For years she has been unresponsive to family members and friends, simply because she is unaware of who they are.  This has been very saddening to my family as she isn't the first one who has memory loss.  However, during this last visit her nephew Tony, my grandpa's cousin, and his wife came to visit her and brought with them the family treat: a lemon meringue pie.  After neglecting to notice the family members her nurse said, "Rosie, they brought some lemon meringue pie for you".  To everyone's surprise, Aunt Rosemary sat up in bed, looked engaged, and ate a piece of the pie, just like old times.  To some people, this is just a recipe for a dessert, but to my family, this is a recipe that unlocks and creates memories.    

– Ruthie

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more