Hand Pies and the Mind-Body Connection

Janelle Peregoy shares how, in tough times, she learned to ask God to help her hold her concentration through small tasks.

Our summer has not gone as planned.

I am congenital heart patient, meaning that I was born with several heart defects. My first open heart surgery occurred when I was 10 days old. My most recent heart surgery occurred in my early 30s to replace my pulmonary valve, struggling against scar tissue from all my prior previous surgeries.

Despite this fragility, most people would never suspect my medical history. I am active. I had been training to walk the Camino de Santiago with a friend. At least, I had been training until I suffered tachycardia (really fast heartbeat) while at work. This led to a subsequent hospitalization.

Two days after I was released from the hospital, our sweet little cat sneaked through a tear in a window screen. She was taken by a coyote.

I find myself angry at God. Like any petulant toddler, my prayers are often snippy and sullen.

Many years ago, I had experienced another devastating season filled with a different kind of grief. At that time, I intuited that my time spent with God didn’t need to revolve around the unanswered, existential questions as much as they were on my mind. Instead, I prayed to stay present. I would ask that God would help me sleep soundly each night since I feared hours of tossing and turning. I’d ask God to help me hold my concentration through small tasks.

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Each act of normalcy gave me a small sense of confidence. Being present also meant that I could be attentive to the needs of those around me. It meant that I could receive moments of laughter and even joy on occasion. Over time, I came to realize that God’s gift of presence created the foundation for my eventual healing.

My therapist recently reminded me of the importance of the mind-body connection: anything that draws me out of my mind and into my body helps to stabilize my rogue thoughts. It is the same reason why activities such as breathing techniques and exercise can have such profound effects on mental health.

“God, help me find something that keeps me present and draws me into body.”

I don’t know what I expected out of this prayer. It wasn’t pie dough.

A few days later, I found myself rolling out pie dough to make lemon curd hand pies. They required circles of a particular size. One rolls out the dough scraps again and again. The repetitive motion takes a fair amount of concentration.

Hours later, I was enjoying a cup of tea while admiring the cooling hand pies. At that moment, I recognized a wonderful truth: I hadn’t thought about anything other than baking during all that time.

Since then, I have been looking for excuses to make the hand pies. They have made a great thank-you gift for the neighbors who watched our kids while I attended a doctor’s appointment. They are well appreciated at every summer potluck and birthday party. They bring a smile to a friend.

Each time I have baked them, God has offered me a respite. God has offered me the present moment.

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Each time I have baked them, God has offered me a respite. God has offered me the present moment. #CatholicMom

In case you also need a couple of hours of presence, here is my recipe.

Hand Pies

Ingredients:

1 package Trader Joe’s 22 oz. frozen pie crusts (2 crusts) or similar
1 jar lemon curd
All-purpose flour for work surface
1 large egg, beaten
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 ½ Tbsp. milk or non-dairy milk
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Roll each pie crust into a large circle on a floured work surface.
Use an extra-wide coffee cup to cut 5-inch rounds from each crust. Circles should be medium thickness.
Place one ½ tbsp lemon curd in center of each round. Brush edges of dough with egg and fold in half. Pinch edges of the dough with a small fork to seal.
Transfer pies to baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
Remove from fridge. Brush pies with remaining egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Cut three small slits into the top of each pie.
Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.
Whisk confectioner’s sugar, milk, and lemon juice until smooth.
Remove hand pies from oven and allow them to cool.
Drizzle sugar mixture over cooled pies.