Perfect Peach Pie, Friendship, and a Mission Fundraiser

Two of the greatest blessings in my life are these ladies:

They are my sisters. After the early years of sibling rivalry, hairbrush disputes and occasional dramatic arguments, those relationships have settled into something tender and reliable. Over time the differences that once felt so large have faded, and today they are two of my closest friends. I take comfort in knowing that if I ever needed help, they would be the first to show up.

There is one difficulty: they live more than a thousand miles away. Phone calls and video chats make the distance manageable, but I still longed for sister-like friendships closer to home. Those relationships don’t form by accident; they require intention, time and sometimes prayer. For years I’ve asked to be a better friend and to be given community here—people who know me deeply and accept me completely.

God has answered that prayer in small, beautiful ways. Friends have appeared at the right times to encourage and support me, often bringing laughter or perspective exactly when I needed it most. One of those friends is Kim.

Kim and I met years ago when our children were around the same age. She used to bring her little ones over for sleepovers at my island house, and during those exhausting seasons her laughter was a balm. We bonded over shared chaos and the necessity of humor. That friendship has only deepened; we still laugh together regularly.

Kim and her family are planning a mission trip to Colombia next summer. They’ll travel with other families to serve a specific group of people in need. The way she talks about this trip—her passion and excitement—has been contagious. At times I’ve seriously considered packing a suitcase and going along.

To raise funds for the trip, Kim and her mom started selling homemade bake-and-serve goods. I wanted to support their effort, so I ordered two peach pies. They arrived carefully packaged, each with a pretty label and clear baking instructions. I put one straight into the oven because our pantry was bare and we were all too tired to make anything else for dinner. Yes, we ate pie for our main course that night—and it was exactly what we needed.

The first bite was unforgettable. They called it “Perfecto Peach Pie,” and I felt justified in renaming it in my head. I called Kim the next morning, hoping to exchange compliments and perhaps, selfishly, to secure the recipe to share more widely. She laughed and then described how she and her mother made the pies. It turns out these pies were the product of experience, intuition and a family kitchen, not a fixed, written recipe.

Kim’s mother is a trained culinary artist—someone who treats ingredients with care and knows the little tricks that make a difference, like keeping flour and butter very cold for a tender crust. That kind of expertise doesn’t always translate into a tidy set of measurements; instead, it becomes a method learned over time.

There isn’t a strict formula to share, but here’s how I recommend recreating the experience at home:

• Start with your best pie crust—use the recipe that yields a flaky, tender crust for you. Chilling the fats and keeping ingredients cold will help.
• Prepare a peach filling with fresh, ripe peaches. If you like a slightly thickened filling, add a bit of tapioca or cornstarch to achieve the texture you prefer.
• Top the pie with a crisp topping—the familiar crumble of oats, butter and brown sugar complements peaches beautifully.
• Bake according to your crust and filling guidelines, and serve warm. A scoop of vanilla ice cream is optional but delightful.

Two essential ingredients go beyond butter and flour: make it with love, and season liberally with laughter. Those are the elements that made Kim’s pies so memorable—care in preparation and joy in the process.

For those nearby, Kim has started a Facebook page to announce when the next batches of her “Indulgences” will be available for purchase. If you have a chance to buy one, be warned: these pies disappear fast. I’m happy to support their mission trip fundraiser, and I’ll admit I’d love to be first in line for at least ten more pies.