Even though I’m a recovering perfectionist, this past Sunday, everything had to go according to schedule. I’m talking, split-second timing.
Our daughter Katie invited us for Thanksgiving. She married in February. Sunday would be a time of celebration! New marriage. New house. New family.
Early in the week, I posted my list on the fridge.
I even bought a thermal container for my strawberry Jell-o salad–
The yummy kind with a crust made of pretzels.
Sunday Morning Agenda:
1. Go to early church.
2. Son Thomas (24) puts dressing in oven while we’re gone.
3. Hurry home.
4. Pack food.
5. Leave!
Before heading to church, I took the dressing out of the fridge and stuck a note on it for Thomas.
350 x 30 minutes!
When we got home at 11:15, I didn’t smell that wonderful scent of dressing baking in the oven.
A bit of the Old Panic Button Julie rose up.
That terrible uh-oh feeling.
Wool scarf-tightness around my throat.
But Thomas’s standing in the kitchen. The oven’s set for 350.
“You put the dressing in at 10:30, right?”
He nodded.
I pulled this out of the oven.
“Thomas, what is it…lasagna? No! It’s the Jell-o salad!”
“It was sitting on the counter with a note on it.”
“You’re right! My fault. Ahhhhh!”
I crammed the Jell-o mess back in the fridge. Kicked the oven up to 400. Threw in the dressing. Made a spinach salad.
“Quick! Pack the cooler!”
The dressing didn’t have time to finish cooking. Mush-mush on one side.
“Hurry! We gotta go!”
We arrived 25 minutes late. Green bean juice had sloshed all over my new carrier. I opened the cooler.
“Where’s the ice?”
“Ice?” my husband said. “I thought you needed the cooler for storage.”
“Who takes a cooler for storage?”
Right then, something wild and free broke loose inside of me and I started laughing.
About everything.
Hysterical laughter! 🙂
Turns out, the pumpkin pie and spinach salad didn’t need ice. We ate around the gooey parts in the dressing.
Back at home that night, I peeked at the Jell-o salad.
Something miraculous happened while we were gone. You’ll never believe it!
The Jell-o did its thing again. The pretzels bloomed into delicious salty-tasting gummy worms. 🙂
Life becomes a celebration when you learn to laugh at yourself.
God helps us fix our mess-ups.
Sunday reminded me of Surrender, Simple, and Enough.
What are your Thanksgiving plans?
Have you ever tried to make a day go according to schedule and everything fell apart? Did you learn anything? 🙂
P.S. I’ll be glad to share my baked Jell-o dessert recipe. 🙂
Love,
Julie