Here at CeliacChicks we've always tried to keep the vibe upbeat. Yet, recent news calls for sober reflection.

I had just finished a good cry while watching the movie Message In A Bottle. This movie tries to capture the complicated emotions of grief and the journey to a place where you can honor the past while at the same time respect and cherish the present.

Then I read the message that awaited me. The message that was appropriately delivered against the backdrop of a grey lazy day sky.

Bette Hagman had died.

My thoughts and feelings were primed to ponder the impact of this sad news. I had wondered where Bette was from time to time. She looked so friendly yet frail in her photo that graced the back of her book published many years ago.

I'm sure she was so much more than a cookbook author. So many admire just this one facet of her life yet she was no doubt three-dimensional. Mother, daughter, wife, friend and I'm sure many more valuable roles.

To those of us who know Bette through her books she will live on as we've always known her – as the helpful voice narrating her recipes. From now on when we use them may we be more contemplatively respectful of her work and the many gifts that she has shared and will keep on sharing with so many people.

Thank you, Bette. I wish I could have met you.

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Send any personal notes to Bette's family via email to Bette's daughter Karol in care of the Gluten Intolerance Group.