It Was So Good | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: It Was So Good | Previous Challenge Entry
By Dan Wilson
09/04/14
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES

It Was So Good

As a child, in August of each year our family would make the annual trek to the Ozark hills in southwestern Missouri to visit our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins and a sundry of other relatives. My parents would also visit with former high school classmates who were their closest friends.

One of my fondest memories was visiting my paternal grandparents. We would gather around the dining room table for breakfast each morning. The white linen cloth was always ironed with creases. It was the background for the rose-patterned fine china, silverware, napkins, cups and saucers. Mom only used hers for someone special.

I still remember smelling the home-baked biscuits cooking in the wood-fired kitchen stove. Grandma used this one special fork for turning the bacon and country-cured ham in the old black cast iron skillet. It had three prongs and a black handle. What she could do with that fork was amazing. The ham and bacon accompanied the eggs sitting in the woven basket on the kitchen table. They were a mixture of white and brown. Grandma had gathered them earlier from the hen house. While she was cooking in the kitchen my aunt would be setting the table.

Aunt Modena would laden the dinner table with opened jars of every imaginable color of home-made blackberry, gooseberry, grape, and raspberry jellies or jams. She would even set a jar of fresh apple butter near my Dad just to tempt him. The beauty of the jellies was offset by the smell of freshly brewed coffee from the pot sitting on the back burner of the old stove, steam swirling upward toward the low white ceiling.

The chatter in the kitchen was broken by the opening of the door on the back porch. Grandpa was done milking the two cows and placed the stainless steel milk bucket on the kitchen table. This fresh milk would eventually replace the cold cow’s milk we would drink while eating our breakfast. If the cows were really productive, my grandparents and aunt would use the extra milk to churn their own butter and was it good.

After the last serving dishes were placed on the dinner table, we would all sit around and Grandpa would ask God’s blessing on the food. Seconds after he said “Amen” the chatter would begin in earnest as the dishes were passed around. My two sisters and I would try to sneak bites in between the passing and not interrupt the flow of food.

Mom would eyeball us knowing that our eyes would usually bigger than our bellies. There was just too many choices for young children and wasting food was not acceptable. More than once we were told to put half of that back. We were encouraged if you want more you can have seconds, thirds or sometimes fourths.

Time and the world came to a standstill at my grandparents’ house. My sisters and I would listen to our parents, grandparents and aunt discuss all of the family while seated at the table. The neatest event was Grandpa would go to the kitchen and bring out the coffee pot. He’d fill everyone’s cup, even mine, then deliberately pour his and Grandma’s final cups to overflowing into the saucer. Those saucers would hold so much coffee and it tasted so much better than the coffee in the cup.

Mom and Dad always taught us that slurping wasn’t appropriate, however, Grandpa could get away with it every time. I would sit next to Grandpa so when he slurped from his saucer so would I for there is safety sitting next to your grandpa. What parent would correct their son doing the same thing as his Grandpa? I just hope the two of us can slurp our coffee from saucers in heaven.

PREVIOUS ENTRY | NEXT ENTRY
SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY FOR THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE

The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE

JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.