Starting Over

In the mid 90's my mother was diagnosed with Celiac Sprue, an intolerance to wheat. It was scary at the time because as diminutive as she is, she was always vibrant and healthy looking. No one knew what the problem was and she was wasting away in front of us. Gaunt, feeling weak and shitting at every opportunity, I feared the worst for her. Then the mystery was revealed and ever since she has been like a knight questing for the Holy Grail in creating wheat free delicacies.

Imagine never being able to have a slice of your favorite pizza, a crusty baguette, a rich chunky brownie, a dish of pasta! You can cheat, but in truth, it is like eating poison. Celiac destroys all of the little finger like protuberances in the small intestine called villi. When she was scoped, her small intestine was as smooth as a baby's ass. What that meant was that there were no villi to absorb the food passing through her system and everything was liquified and dumped at the end of the line.

If you're diagnosed (it seems to affect those of northern European descent the most), you think you can avoid the big things like those mentioned above. Yet in our hurried overprocessed and preserved society it appears in almost everything we eat, like ketchup, salad dressing, vinegar, soy sauce, canned soup, macaroni and cheese and almost anything you take for granted.

Returning from her week in the sun she looked frazzeled and fried. Mentally tired from being the escort to Big Pappy who ate and drank at every opportunity, she was ready for a change in her life. I think she's going through a huge realization that she hasn't acomplished anything in life. I try to tell her she DID by single handedly raising three boisterous kiddies. She did an outstanding job. She wants more.

She has decided to pursue opening a gluten(wheat) free bakery. Celiacs should be overjoyed by her succulent baked goods. What I think is wonderful is that it is just not Celiacs who benefit from a wheat free diet. People with fibromyalgia and autistic childeren have shown remarkable improvements in the quality of their lives by eliminating wheat. I think it would be so wonderful for a parent to bring a child into the the store and they can eat ANYTHING that's there!

How great would it be to be able to order them a birthday cake?!

The amazing thing is is that she has perfected so many things. It's very difficult to work with alternative flours and ingredients, but she has a knack for it. She makes delectible gingersnaps, angel food cakes, brownies, pizza crusts, waffles, pancakes, bread and rolls and so much more! They are seriously so good Snowflake and I prefer them to the real deal.

She has asked me to help her. How can I refuse? She thrives when she's making all of these goodies. She's like Wonder Woman. I think it would be a boon to her lagging self-esteem(mine as well) but more importantly, I think it would be an incredible example and inspiration for Snowflake. I am so proud of her and she gives me hope. She's turing 60 this April and I'm reminded of a magazine I saw with Lauren Hutton on the cover.

It said "Sixty is the New Thirty". Life begins again.