Who Could Have Ever Imagined?

I never intended to write a cookbook. I was only going to type up my boys’ favorite recipes when they left for college. The first “edition” was just a spiral-bound set of photocopies, but the boys kept calling home saying that another of their friends wanted a copy, so I just kept making more sets.

When I turned 50 I decided to make a fancier version of the book for some of my friends to thank them for their friendship over the years. That book was called Annie’s Best, and my friend Jeanne, a talented graphic artist, volunteered to design a cute cover and divider pages. The week of my birthday I was speaking on hospitality at a convention, so I had 600 copies of the book printed, and they had all sold in 10 weeks!

Five years later, by popular demand, I decided to publish a revised and expanded edition called Around the World with Annie. By then I had collected 200 new recipes, and I had also lived and taught in Europe for 16 years and had collected lots of delicious recipes from my international students. I had also written several stories about our international food experiences—funny stories—and these became the section dividers of my new book.

With 554 recipes and 10 fun stories, this book has been immensely popular. I’ve had many people tell me that it’s their favorite cookbook ever! They tell me they like it because every recipe is tried and tested. They also say that they love reading the small things I’ve written about the recipes…where I got them…how I use them.

Who could have ever imagined?

Last June when my ALS diagnosis invaded our lives, I decided to do a blog so I wouldn’t have to answer so many e-mails. I knew there would be people who would want to know what was going on, but they wouldn’t want to “bother” us. So, I began my blog. A side benefit has been that the blog is helping me synthesize the things that are happening in my mind. It has been therapeutical to write these 31 entries. But now you're telling me that it's helping you, too! Amazing!

Believe it or not, this blog site has about 1800 hits a month, averaging about 50 a day. You, my readers, are from 33 countries, and there are new readers almost every day. Many of you I’ve never met, but God is using this whole situation for the benefit of many.

Who could have ever imagined?

This week I passed the eight-month marker since my diagnosis. That day when the doctor said that I probably had 12-18 months to live, I thought ahead to spring, wondering what condition I’d be in by then.

Would I still be able to walk?
Would I still be able to talk?

Well...last weekend we celebrated our oldest grandchild Reuben’s fifth birthday, and I could not only walk and talk, but I could also cruise on the tube with our son David, and two of his little guys—the birthday boy (on my lap) and his 3 year old brother, Levi.


Who could have ever imagined?

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen!” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

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P.S. If you’d like to contact me for any reason, just post a comment on my blog and give me your e-mail address, then I’ll write to you. It you’re someone I’ve never met, it would be fun to hear how you learned about my site. Yes, I do have extra cookbooks. If you're interested you can order one by writing to this address: annies_recipes@yahoo.com.