I recently attended a support group for widows (I know, you’re thinking now there’s a good time) and one woman said she used to bake a lot but no longer does. Her daughter wants her to bake because the daughter takes it as a sign of her mother’s love but the mother just can’t summon the energy for it.

The surprising thing was that almost everyone there agreed that they no longer bake. One woman said she used to make great pies but hasn’t made one since her husband died. Another said she used to bake weekly but hasn’t baked at all since her husband died. It seemed to be a consistent thing but certainly not one that I’d thought about.

I think baking must be a sign of nurturing or something. It’s how women show their love–making cookies and cakes. So when the object of love is gone, the desire to bake is gone too.

I hadn’t thought about it but I haven’t baked at all in the past year. I haven’t used my bread maker or baked a cake or made cookies. I used to do all of those things once in a while. There’s still brownie mix sitting in my pantry and I have’t thought to make brownies at all.

I guess your husband dies and that’s it. No more baking.

Image: Candy Heart Cake by bunchofpants via Flickr under a Creative Commons license