Loraine Brings Dinner
Friday, May 4, 2007
Apparently, Puck thought it was a funny thing to head-butt his mom that morning. He had been lying on Collette’s stomach, chewing on his fists as usual, kicking his feet, and pushing himself toward Collette’s chin – thus the head-butting.
“Dude!” Collette called to him. “Watch your head, man.”
But he just kept turning his rosy face from one side to the other, trying to decide which fist was better for chewing, and smiling at his own shenanigans. Then he tried to chew on Collette’s face. Silly baby.
Come evening, Loraine Saint dropped by with a hot meal.
“I hope I made enough…” She stared at the chicken casserole sitting on the stove. “I don’t… Jimmy eats so much when I make it… I mean… Do you think it’s enough? I imagine OLeif eats some big portions. I just don’t… Oh, and I thought I’d bring cucumbers…”
Collette assured her that the casserole would be enough for at least two meals.
“Oh!” Loraine slapped herself in the forehead. “I forgot…”
Collette waited a moment for her to explain. “The cucumbers?”
“No, no. Dessert! I completely forgot dessert. I’m so sorry. Well, I tried brownies. But that didn’t work out. And… I’m just crazy. I can’t believe I forgot dessert. I’m just crazy.”
Collette insisted that it was alright.
Meanwhile, Loraine was putting the casserole in the oven for her, rambling on about not wanting to burn down their house because she had never used a gas stove before.
“Oh, I shouldn’t have baked the biscuits before I got here. Now they won’t be hot. OLeif told me you aren’t wild about steamed veggies. So I brought these. Are green beans OK?”
That was how conversation was with Loraine. She did hop all over the place, but it was fun to have her around. Although she managed to insist aloud in every conversation that she was absolutely nuts.
“Have a good evening,” she said, walking out the front door. “At least, I hope it’s a good evening. God bless.”
Collette had to chuckle with Loraine over her conversations.
And while OLeif was off playing violin for the men’s retreat, Collette spent the quieter part of her evening watching an old film – In the Good Old Summertime. She decided that she liked it mostly because it was based off an older film set in Hungary.
“Doctrine means teaching, explaining, clarifying… Gospel doctrine matters because the good news it so full and rich and wonderful that it must be opened like a treasure chest, and all its treasures brought out for the enjoyment of the world. Doctrine is the description of these treasures. Doctrine describes their true value and why they are so valuable. Doctrine guards the diamonds of the gospel from being discarded as mere crystals. Doctrine protects the treasures of the gospel from the pirates who don’t like the diamonds but who make their living trading them for other stones. Doctrine polishes the old gems buried at the bottom of the chest. It puts the jewels of gospel truth in order on the scarlet tapestry of history so each is seen in its most beautiful place. And all the while, doctrine does this with its head bowed in wonder that it should be allowed to touch the things of God.”
– God is the Gospel, pp.22-23, John Piper