A busy day awaits me and I am facing it with prayer and a big cup of Door County Raspberry Sorbet Coffee. Let's get it started.
My birthday was in February and I turned sixty years old this year. I never thought that I would live this long. So for me personally, it was a milestone. My special day fell on a weekend and I pretty much had my weekend planned. Hunting on Friday, sporting clay shooting on Saturday, and more hunting on Sunday afternoon rounded out the weekend. On Saturday evening I planned on an Italian dinner for two at one of my favorite restaurants. I had a big slab of lasagna on my mind for a month.
Earlier in the month, two of our dear friends mentioned that it would be nice to go out to eat at an Irish restaurant for my birthday. I politely declined and said that I had my heart set on lasagna, but they were welcome to come. They persisted weekly.
They continued to pressure me throughout February with my wife joining in saying " Don't you want to be with our friends, and they have such a good deal". I was a little stern and said " I planned my weekend and all I want is lasagna. Is that too hard to do?"
Closer to my birthday, I called my dear old aunt and checked in. I was getting somewhat perturbed at the fact that no one seemed to be blessing my lasagna outing. I whined a little and she just said " it's your birthday, do what you want to do". My aunt was part of a deeper conspiracy. I made my lasagna reservations and told Rene to be ready to go on Saturday.
Now here's the deal eventually I got a call from my no longer trusted nephew on that lasagna Saturday saying that I had better turn around from my lasagna destination because there was a lot of people at an Irish restaurant waiting to surprise me for my birthday. (Just kidding on trusting my nephew)
This surprise party/ lasagna conspiracy included friends, our daughter, my aunt, my baker who almost gave it away. They did not count on me showing up for donuts that morning. I found out later that my birthday cake was sitting out when I walked in, name and all for everyone to see. Two of the young girls who worked there stood in front of it and never moved. I just assumed that they were tired or had a case of stupid going on.
This conspiracy went from Florida, to Houston, to Wisconsin. Now, all kidding aside. I eventually went out a few weeks later for my lasagna. But my heart was blessed by all those people who fibbed a little, and staged the conspiracy, to give me one nice party. Rene on the other hand was a nervous wreck. I was starting to dig in with stubbornness and she saw it as impossible to get me to go to the Irish Emporium. She was actually worried that if I ran into one more obstacle that I would be headed to Italy for my birthday.
Here's the point. We can't always have it our way. And I am blessed to say that I did not. But what I did experience was even better. A whole room filled with family and friends was much better than lasagna. I actually liked the Irish food. Being stubborn is not always a blessing to others or yourself.
Deuteronomy 10:16
"So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer.
I need to learn to go with the flow, and never pass up the chance to properly fellowship with friends and family. Today I miss my daughter, maybe I should pack myself into a crate and ship myself to Florida. Then when she opens the door, I could jump out of the crate and holler "Surprise I brought lasagna".
God bless,
Marty
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