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| Katie and her mom made fortune cookies (yes, MADE them!) with quotes from Katie and Matt's favorite movies. When asked what cookie describes Katie best, Matt answers,"those fortune cookies that she made--perfectly suited to make me smile and lift me up, and accomplished beyond what I can even really understand." |
The day honors Katie, who passed away in 2010. Katie Fisher Day reminds us to take pause, look outside ourselves, and show our love to someone. How? Bake them cookies!
Matt wrote a poignant article for Amy Poehler's Smart Girls, in which he talks about the creation of Katie Fisher Day. I am struck by Katie's ambition and warmheartedness. The goodness and love in someone matters most of all. When I asked Matt about losing Katie, he explained:
"Katie Fisher Day is our way of saying,
'look, we lost Katie--if there's going to be a silver lining here,
it will be because we very deliberately preserve
and perpetuate some of the good she was able to do.'"
Katie demonstrated her love through the delicious, homemade cookies she sent Matt while he was away at college. One of Matt's favorite memories of his sister is the night before his wedding when she came over to ease his nerves and excitement. They played video games, listened to music, and watched movies. The bond between siblings is so very special; it will never fracture or fade.
"...her esteem for me was such an important part of how I girded myself to face the world."
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| Katie and Matt in super cool shades. |
People are encouraged to share photos and stories about how they celebrated Katie Fisher Day. Matt finds it to be an "incredibly gratifying and emotional experience...To see this huge demonstration of people's sense of charity and generosity." Share yours via Facebook, Twitter, or their website.
"I've been blessed with an amazing life full of amazing people, and I'm blessed a hundred times over that I had Katie to share it with. She was there for me at this time that was happy and difficult and overwhelming, and those are the life experiences that I live to share with her."
Since I'll be out of town without an oven on March 12, I celebrated Katie Fisher Day a few days early (I don't want to give away who will be receiving them)! I tried out Pinch of Yum's Thick and Fudgy Double Chocolate Cookies. Baking for someone (okay, obviously I have already consumed a few...) using my mom's Kitchen Aid mixer showed me that the act of giving can help you feel more connected to those you love, wherever they are.
Losing someone forces you to face the reality of time's impermanence and that at any moment, your whole life can change. For Matt, Katie Fisher Day is "a reminder that friendship is something you do, not something you have." He explains, "there are people out there who need your phone call more than your Twitter follow."
Who are you baking cookies for this year?
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