The Minister's Visit

This weekend would have been my mother's birthday, so I choose this funny story to share for this week's piece.  It is from the book, Whenever Possible, Have a Nice Day. When it came to moms, my sisters and I completely lucked out. Like most moms, she was loving and a good cook, but was also extremely entertaining. She was quite "unique" to say the least.

 

My mother was a fine Christian woman. She cleaned her house, took care of her children, and made sure everyone was properly fed. She also entertained the minister of the church in a way he probably remembered for quite a while.

One Sunday, the minister and his wife came to our house for dinner after church. Momma carefully planned a meal that she could leave cooking in the oven while she was at church. She made her wonderful meatloaf, beans, and baked potatoes.

It was the potatoes that made such a lasting impression, and taught me a lesson I’ll never forget. She opened the oven and BAM! What a noise! The potatoes literally exploded! There were potato parts all over the inside of the oven.  This is when I learned a valuable lesson: ALWAYS prick your potatoes with a fork before baking in order to allow them to release the pent up steam.

They were a little messy, but we could still eat them, which we did, whenever we could quit laughing enough to take a bite of them!  Luckily, my mom had a great sense of humor and could laugh at herself, a skill that came in handy the next time a minister came to call.

A few years later, the church had a new minister and he was trying to visit each family. He came by our house on a fine summer day. My mom invited him out to the patio for some lemonade and cookies.

Soon,  one of our cats came by. She meowed insistently, but my mom ignored her. Not to be put off, the cat jumped up on the table to show off the treasure she had to offer! She plopped the mouse, still wiggling, down on the plate of cookies!  

Somehow, I do not recall what the minister did or said. Nor do I remember what happened to the mouse. But the story became a family favorite for many years.

I daresay, the rest of the minister’s family visits were probably a bit less memorable.  It’s a wonder she ever invited anyone to our house ever again! 

Click here for more information about this book:

 Whenever Possible, Have a Nice Day