The Mystery of the Shortbread Cookie Caper Solved

The Mention of Bob's Shortbread Cookie Desire is Answered

          Just hours after I posted my April 27th blog entitled "A Swarm of Service," a mysterious thing happened. It was quite dark out, I was listening to the TV in my room when I heard Bob calling out to me. He said, "Did you hear the doorbell ring?" No, I replied, and got up to go look. I turned on the porch light and there sat a large, red lidded Rubbermaid storage container filled with shortbread cookies sitting upon the mail from our mailbox. But there was no sign of a car or anyone around.

          I delivered the cookies to Bob and WOW were they GOOD. Buttery, perfectly crunchy and not too soft, and large! Each cookie measured about 3 inches across. They were Empress cookies. The best we'd ever eaten. Thus began the search for the Cookie Queen who' bestowed a gift after Bob's request for shortbread cookies.
          It was perfect timing because as he began to spend more time in bed and wake during the night, he could munch a cookie without waking me when he got hungry.

          Of course, I was trying to lose weight, so I was glad they were beyond my sight and reach most of the time  (I actually only ate one from this batch). But alas, he ran out of them. He begged me to find out who had made these fabulous cookies. He made me call Relief Society to help hunt for the Queen of Shortbread Cookies! Everyone that was asked said it wasn't them. It had to be someone who'd read my blog. Although I'd posted a link to that blog on my Facebook page, and posted a link on the Sisters of Picture Rocks Facebook Page (comprised of 57 women in my ward who share non-religious networking tips, ideas, etc.with each other) I never mentioned Bob's Shortbread Cookie desire. Someone had clicked on the Facebook link, saw a need and decided to perform an act of service.

THE COOKIE MONSTER

          I never knew I was married to the Cookie Monster! When I was talking to the 2nd Counselor in Relief Society, Ann Bodmer, Bob got on the phone and said, this is serious!!! It's a matter of life and death!!!!! We all laughed but I knew he was a bit serious about it. When Ann called Liz Gary to see if it was her, she posted a request on TSOPR Facebook page to find out who'd made them because now the fame of these absolutely delicious cookies was spreading far and wide. Everyone wanted the recipe. At 2:30pm the next afternoon, two plastic bags of "warm" right-out-the-oven, shortbread cookies arrived again at our door.
          After this delivery the cookies were almost gone in a day. Bob had become a Cookie Monster.

THE SEARCH FOR THE COOKIE QUEEN BEGINS IN EARNEST 

          This time I was nearer the front door when the doorbell rang, but when I got there, the cookies and the mail were there and no one else. I stepped out on the porch peered around the saguaro and then heard a car (hidden by a big ironwood tree at the edge of the driveway) pull out onto the road going West and caught a quick glimpse of a maroon van!!! I only knew two people who had vans. I called the first one...she told me her van was green. THAT ONLY LEFT ONE! The Worl Family. They used to give me rides to church when Bob had early morning ward council meetings. But it had been over a year ago, and they'd added twin boys to their family. But every time Mattie, now age 9, and Caleb, now age 5, would see me at church they'd call out to me and give me big smiles...we'd bonded. So I called Tatiana, their mother, and indeed it was the three of them that baked the cookies and delivered them. It was the kids idea to bring our mail up to the door! Mystery solved.

There is More to the Story

          Tatiana shared with me that they'd never meant it to be secret, but the first time no one answered the bell or knocking on the door so they left. The second time was purposeful; they parked behind our house and made a quick get away! She told me how special it was that the kids were so excited about helping bake and deliver the cookies. When she saw the post, she had to go looking all over for the great shortbread recipe she remembered using in the past and at last found it in a book called "Christmas Cookies."
          She really felt a prompting to do this little act of kindness for Bob. She shared a special story with me about her grandfather who was failing in health having had a series of strokes. His favorite thing to do was to go walking with his dog, but he'd done less and less of this after each health setback. She felt prompted to go over to his home in a mobile home park one Friday and ask if he'd like to go for a walk. The response was YES!!!! They walked all around visiting with neighbors and their dogs, etc. They had a wonderful time. The following Sunday he had a massive stroke, and soon died.
          Brianna had a similar experience with her father, Bob. They went out to lunch at Saffron, an Indian food restaurant in Tucson. The food was fabulous, their conversation covered the many topics they both love and she'd left the kids with G.G. so that they could focus on each other. That is a cherished memory for both of them. Bob is not able to go out like this anymore. He is basically home bound now.
          The lesson learned is NEVER put off those promptings to do little acts of kindness. Tatiana, Bob and I have pondered who benefits the most. Certainly the one being served is grateful (she worried whether he'd be offended at the presumption that he needed to have some service rendered  andI assured her he would never, ever mind shortbread cookies! and as a stressed spouse, I am very, very grateful for every act of kindness to my husband in his last days); or we pondered,whether the one doing the serving is chalking up the "brownie points" or "gold stars" in their crown. We've decided that when the Savior said:
"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." --Mosiah 2:17; Matthew 25:40
          By his example, the Savior was showing us that it is better to give than receive, but in order for there to be opportunities for this service someone has to be in need. There is a time in life to give service and an other time in life to receive service from others. This includes helping teach our children how to serve others.
"But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another." --Mosiah 4:15
          Certainly Tatiana was teaching Mattie and Caleb to love and serve others.
          King Benjamin goes on in verse 16 of Mosiah to tell all of us, "And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; "

Mattie gives Bob a refill of Shortbread Cookies

Tatiana, Caleb and Mattie make a late night delivery

Tatiana shares the recipe here for the most delicious, rich, buttery shortbread cookies we've ever tasted:
HINT: you can NOT substitute margarine, etc. in the following recipe. You must use REAL BUTTER!

Basic Shortbread Cookies

1 cup   butter, softened

½ C     sugar

¼ tspn vanilla extract

2 ½ C  unbleached all-purpose flour

⅛ tspn salt

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy, gradually add sugar, beating well. Stir in vanilla.

Combine flour and salt, gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Dough will be crumbly.

Roll dough to ½ inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut in small rectangular cookies ( Bob liked them 3” X 3”) or cut with a 2 ½ inch round cutter or shaped Christmas cookie cutter. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 275° for 50 minutes or until bottoms begin to brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet, remove to a wired rack to cool completely.

--courtesy of “Christmas Cookies”

HAPPY EATING