Last night I attended one of those cookie exchanges. You know...where a bunch of old ladies who bake way better than you show off their baking and decorating skills in one shot. I figured...I have the packages from last year. I have a million Mexican wedding cookies I made Saturday (which got eaten by Nay and a friend) ...and I'm going in my favorite Christmas sweater (circa 2005). O.k. it's a little dated, smelled like cedar balls and a storage plastic...but it's shiny and red so off I went.
Well... at first I thought I should have stayed home. It started at 7. In my time frame that's about 11 p.m. While we were sitting I started to get sleepy. To add insult to injury I had chamomile tea. Then we played a game that involved talking about ourselves. Well I'm trying this new thing of trying to talk less and listen more and I found myself yawning while women were pouring out there hearts. I felt horrible...but hey - that tea was kicking in and there isn't much I can say about that. Bottom line is the Lord had put all these road blocks to me getting there and when I left I got the distinct feeling I shouldn't have gone. Have you ever done that? Gone somewhere and in hindsight thought...."I shouldn't have gone. I'm wasn't suppose to be here." I also said way more than I needed to at the end about a family scheduling conflict and now I'm feeling convicted about nagging about B.
Once I was there, the Lord blessed me anyway...isn't that cool how He does that? I was able to talk to a lady I use to see in Sunday School and catch up on stuff. I have been praying for a ladies' sons and I got an update on that. As I listened to another woman talk about 3 generations of problems (serious problems)...my problems didn't really seem so big. Lord forgive me for thinking the earth revolves around me and what I think are problems. As I heard a woman yearn for someone to go and do something with...I praised God for my sister, my good friends D, J, J, A and A, and the ability I have to find friends and hang with them, without us trashing other people. I am able to go out with one or two of these ladies each month and my husband doesn't mind watching my kids (that's a blessing too.) I know I have the ability of showing myself friendly and I somehow need to use it for God's glory and not just a break from my kids. (B. calls it a break from the Lorriemachine.) I got some COOL cookies and great cookie holders. I got so excited when one of the ladies said that she made snickerdoodles. Those were my mother's speciality and I knew I had to have those. I learned all I ever wanted to know about unsolicited calls and now feel very knowledgable. Bottom line...God takes all the little things in life and we need to choose to see them as blessings and not as something else we are obligated to do. I praise the Lord for cookie exchanges, wonderful Christian woman, and a great church family.
