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Out To Pastor
When it comes to sweet items, I am a connoisseur with a delicate palate. All I need is something sweet set before me, and I can tell you how wonderful it is after the first bite. I may be a little addicted to sweet things.
After celebrating 55 years of marital bliss, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage makes some of the sweetest desserts I have ever tasted. Whether it’s a pie, a cookie, or a cake, they are all the sweetest I have ever tasted.
After these years of marriage, I have noticed that The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage comes up with names that confuse me. I try not to let it bother me, and I don’t ask her to explain herself because I know what that would lead to. I take note of the words she uses, especially when she describes other people.
I’m not very good with these kinds of words; once in a while I will say to her, “You’re as sweet as an Apple Fritter.” I don’t know anything sweeter than an Apple Fritter.
Just recently, I heard her use a new name I’d never heard before. We were watching TV together, and I believe it was Judge Judy. If you ever watched that show, you know there are a lot of crazy people who come before that judge.
We were watching this program, and there was one guy who was really loopy in many regards. When Judge Judy announced her verdict, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage said, “That guy was a real fruitcake.”
I had never heard that word in that context. Yes, I’ve heard it referring to food, but never about a person.
Staring at her for a few moments, I said, “What do you mean he’s a fruitcake?”
“Didn’t you hear that guy? He was the most eccentric idiot I’ve ever seen. To me he is the face of a fruitcake.”
I’ve never heard that definition before, or that word used to describe somebody. But if The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage used it, it must be so.
I can think of a lot of relatives that would qualify for this definition. Thinking about it, I come from a family of fruitcakes. If that is so, it would explain a lot of things that happen in our family. I’m waiting for my children and grandchildren to realize that they have “Fruitcake” in their DNA.
We were driving across town to do some shopping together, and as we were going, I happened to mention it. “Do you sometimes think that I’m a fruitcake?”
Without missing a beat, she said, “Look at the license plate on that car over there. They’re from California. I wonder what they’re doing here.”
I knew exactly what she was doing, and it really got me out of trouble I might have gotten into. Sometimes it is best not to ask questions, particularly if I’m around The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage.
A verse from the Bible came to mind as I thought about this.
Ephesians 4:32, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
The troubling aspect of the verse is treating others as God has treated me. Reflecting on this I thought if God can do this to me, then I could do this to everyone around me.
