Saturday Six or Seven

One. Deb sent me this picture that she took of Cali and Ray as they came out of the temple right after being married and sealed for eternity. I love their faces. I still can't think back to that day without feeling peace and happy.

There had been tremendous storms for two weeks before they got married and we woke to a blizzard the day of the wedding. It was treacherous driving. In fact, Ray and Cali drove off the road just a half mile from the temple and feared they were going to roll as they were on an embankment. They said they sat there stunned for a minute and then a man pulled up to see if they needed help. Ray jumped out and threw the guy a tow rope and after he'd pulled them back on the road, Ray said, "Thanks Buddy, I'm on my way to get married!" The day was blessed from start to finish.

Two. Last night Calvin and I hosted a "Thank you" dinner for those who helped fix and serve the food at Ray and Cali's reception last week. Calvin fixed Soup of the Seven Seas for the appetizer. It had mussels, clams, shrimp, crab, octopus and two other things that float in the sea that I don't remember (I should have suggested he put the lone beta fish in it). It was a great conversation starter. How can someone not comment when there is an octupus strung out over the bottom of his bowl? We served the more traditional food of steaks, baked potatoes, spinach salad, green beans and hot rolls with it. We squeezed all of us around our extended table and had a good time eating, laughing and visiting about everthing from Vietnam to girls' camp.

Three. Calvin and I have a friend who has the most generous, perceptive and kind soul. Everyone loves him. Several years ago when he was in his mid-forties, he had heart trouble and died of an enlarged heart.

We also know someone who has difficulty loving others or seeing good in them. Life and people are burdensome to her. She is currently in the hospital. The doctor said she is suffering from a cold in her heart.

Irony. Sweet irony. * Please let me die of a soft, enlarged heart.

Four. I have dozens and dozens and dozens of dishes to do today. Costco had nice plastic dinnerware and silverware-looking plastic utensils available before the holidays so that is what we used to serve the meal at Ray and Cali's reception. However, seeing the little asterisk on the price sign, I knew it was a seasonal item and once they were gone wouldn't be restocked. What if we have another event before next Christmas? I had the servers scrape them and load them in a rubbermaid bin until the dishwasher and I had time to clean them. They've been refrigerated out in the garage until today. Today's the day.

Five. I love cloudy days. It instantly lowers the expectation of the day. It's like the sky says, "I think you should stay inside today. I'll close half an eye and let you do the things that you want/need to do today."

Six. I won a prize. I am not lucky by nature.

Once, right after we got married, I won tickets to a Chris LeDoux concert. Still fumbling over saying my married name smoothly I told the announcer what it was. He got on the air and teased, "Folks, you will never believe the name of the person who just won those tickets. Jane Payne. That's right She's a rhymer. I'm not making this up. How would you like that name for the rest of your life?" The concert was fun and free and that was what mattered.

Another time I won a $50 gift certificate to our little grocery store. It was rigged. I was the mother of four hungry-looking little kids. I bought $50 worth of flour.

Stacy at Big Picture Scrapbooking asked for a popcorn memory in her comments and the winner would receive registration to an on-line class. My memory got picked. Go popcorn!

Seven . . .

Okay . . . the sky is going to quit winking if I don't get those dishes switched . . . if I think of more random I'll add it throughout the day . . .

(*Edited. Someone was offended at my term "sweet irony" so I removed it. Apparently the anonymous commenter isn't familiar with the term or that it is often used when referring to any irony; rather it was interpreted as a personal attack and that I rejoiced in the hospitalized person's situation. Since it is not my intent to attack or offend and I don't rejoice in suffering, I removed it because it was not properly understood. However, I have learned that removing it caused offense also. I'm taking my lesson that people who wish to be offended will be offended no matter the word choice and putting it back in as originally posted.

This human behavior observation seemed to have struck a sensitive cord; interesting, given it was simply an observation of irony and no attack was implied or given. Discussion of "sweet irony" closed.)