I spent the last week thinking about, preparing for and putting on a Spring Dinner Party for 14 of my girl friends. I wanted to celebrate Spring and celebrate them. So, I put together a great meal, if I do say so myself, made sure my Spring decor' was out, planned fun games, made little potted plants and butterfly bookmarks and my Avon rep friend made special little gift packages for each lady. I pulled out all the stops -- in fact I used my best china -- the bowls, plates, dessert plates, cup and saucer plates, tea and water glasses.
The night before, everything was set up and ready to go, except for baking and cooking the meal. The first thing on Thursday was to get my baking started. No sooner did I open the oven door to put the first batch of cookies in, the handle on the door came off and so did the glass door. OH ME! What's a girl to do? I prayed. God's wisdom showed up for me and, all except the handle, I put the door back together again with electrical tape. Who knew that electrical tape wouldn't melt from the high heat? I sure didn't need that interruption, and it was sure a work out to open the door carefully for every batch of cookies, rolls, baked chicken, but I made it!
The night was a complete success! I insisted that the girls NOT help clean up. This was their night. Besides, I like to take my time cleaning up. Remember I said I used all those dishes and glasses? I rinsed my first batch for the dishwasher and got it started. Then, when I turned on my garbage disposal, the sink only bubbled up and then BAM....the disposal crud, and all that water blasted out from under my sink!!! The pipe broke and it was like Niagra Falls coming with all that yuck accompanying it. I had the good sense to turn off the faucet and quickly get towels and more towels to clean up the water, pull out all the under-the-sink cleaning supplies, and put out my large, crud-filled kitchen rug on the back porch. But, alas, no sooner did I have all that cleaned up than the dishwasher water started to drain, and again -- Niagara Falls came blasting out again! Holy Mackeral -- Holy Niagara Falls! By 1 am, I had all the water cleaned up, and ALL the dirty dishes washed in my laundry room sink! I'm still using the laundry room sink until the plumber comes out. I thought about the folks whose homes were under water because of floods. How could I complain?
I could have gotten myself in an all-out tizzy if I had let myself go there. But, what would have been the use? Wherever we are, wherever we go, whatever we do -- we will encounter "stuff". It's life. Life throws some crazy things our way. But, the bigger picture is.....what are we making of those times? I could have easily allowed the enemy to win rather than remembering the beautiful night I had given to my sweet friends. I was so grateful for the fun we had. I was determined to be in the Winner's Circle at the end of these shenanigans, so I made sure to exude an attitude of gratitude no matter what. When we do that, blessings and God's favors can happen right in the middle of those times if we think and believe, "This will work out for my good, because I sure do love God and this is no surprise to Him!" Good things will come out of this.
Living with a heart of gratitude, keeps the heart and mind from looking at what we don't have, to what we do have -- and in that place, I've come to experience love, hope and peace that gives me the "knowing" that whatever happens, God is surely a part of the equation to bring about beautiful things for me, as well as for those that God sets up as "my assignment". No pain, no drain, no rain -- no complain -- JUST GAIN....when we KNOW God! We KNOW Peace!
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