The Pie

When you get to be about my age; 59 years old; you start to appreciate the smaller things in life which vastly outweigh all the material things you may have accrued over the years. This is well, as it is easy to become cynical in so many ways, having sometimes seen human nature at its worst. And that’s why the smallest of kindnesses can come to mean so much; it’s an affirmation of everything in which you believed before you became so jaded. In my case, this act of kindness came in the form of a pie delivered on the spur of the moment by Isaac, a neighbor’s son.

Now, I have lived 2 houses down from Isaac’s family for over 4 years. In that time we have developed a nodding, how are you, type of relationship with his parents. This is normal, as we are of different age groups and lifestyles. But the best part of being neighbors with them has been watching their 2 children grow. And, over the years, I have given a few things to the kids; stuff like a volleyball, or a basketball; which I can no longer use, but are useful to them. Isaac and his sister Ainsley always greet me with a cheery hello, even calling me "Mr." Robert in the bargain. These hellos are sometimes the highlight of my day, as my own grandchildren live so far away.

Last week; the night before Thanksgiving; Isaac was distributing some pies to various neighbors as part of a church outreach program. He didn't really have a list, and I suppose he was going to the houses of people he knew from church. We passed in the front of my house just as it was getting dark and a bit chilly. We greeted one another in our usual, friendly fashion; which always makes me feel pretty good; and then went our separate ways. But, then he did the unexpected.

As I was headed back into my house he called out, “Hey, Mr. Robert.” Turning, I noticed him fumbling for something in the shopping bag he was carrying. As we got closer to one another he pulled out a pie saying, “This is for you Mr. Robert. I want you to have this.” It was so spontaneous that I could only manage a heartfelt thanks before he departed the scene of his kind deed.

It was a few days later and I was enjoying the last of the pie when Sue walked into the dining room. Seeing me demolish the last piece she reminded me that, “You don’t even like pie.” Well, that's probably true; but as I mumbled back to her, “Maybe so, but this is the best pie I've ever had!”