Lunch

Lunch

By Rayla Stewart Hogue

Special to the Daily Statesman

The craving for a good, home-made pasta salad was overwhelming. She chose her ingredients carefully . . . cooked the pasta . . . and while it was cooking prepared the sauce. Finally she added freshly chopped vegetables and tossed it all together. Carrying the bowl with her to the living room, she relaxed into her chair and settled back to enjoy her late lunch.

The flavors were perfectly mixed. She savored each bite. There was a knock at the front door. Should she answer it or ignore it. She had been traveling and just wanted to relax at home . . . another knock.

With a deep sigh, she called out for them to wait. Her computer was on its cart in front of her chair, so she carefully placed her bowl of pasta on the laptop as she rose and walked across the room to the door.

Her neighbor's son was there. As they finished their conversation, she closed the door and turned to return to her chair--anticipating returning to her lunch . . ..

There she sat. Her well mannered, never disobeys, faithful companion was sitting primly in her chair--delicately inhaling the pasta salad!

"Shena!" A face of total innocence looked up at her . . . licking her lips, and turning a paw up to gently lick it clean.

"That is MY lunch!" No response, just innocent eyes wondering what all the excitement is about.

"MOVE!" She jumps down from the chair--pleased with herself over sharing and not consuming the entire lunch. Her look was as if she had been the gracious, generous host giving the last serving to her guest . . . instead of a food thief!

Taking the bowl with her, she dumped the rest of the pasta into the dogs' food bowl. As the other one came to join her, there seemed to be a conspiratorial congratulations passing between them as they wolfed down the rest of the meal.

About that time the phone rang. It was her spouse. "You have been a BAD influence on my dog! She just ate my lunch! Don't you dare laugh--I'm gone for a few days and . . . no laughing . . . it is NOT funny . . . ! But she was so prim and proper . . . delicate even. Oh I give up! She was so cute with her big brown eyes. I swear if she could have her 'pinky' claw would have been extended."

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him

Forever in the next.

(Reinhold Niebuhr)

God, help us to forgive those who take what is "ours," accept the difference between nature and nurture, and laugh along the way. So be it. Amen.