Thank you Lord for surprises that have blessed us.....

It is very seldom that I make mashed potatoes.  Last Friday I invited 7 ladies to my house for lunch.  I picked out a simple French meal for the menu of the day.  Beef Bourguignon, carotts, green beans and boiled potatoes (just boiled for the beef was very rich).  I don't make mashed potatoes very often.  As I was peeling my potatoes, I realized that I was peeling them exactly the way Jo Brandenburg taught me.  When I knew her, Jo was rather forgetful and in her late 80's.  I never knew her very well.  She was the mother of Larry with whom I was on staff at Harvey Browne Memorial Presbyterian Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

One of the few times Jo was in my house I asked her to teach me how to make mashed potatoes.  She did.  She said that the first important thing in making delicious mashed potatoes is in how you peel it. She was a great teacher.  That was  a few years ago and I may have made it twice since then.  But when a good teacher teaches you something, it is imprinted on your brain I suppose.  Many years later, here I stood by the sink of my kitchen in Seabrook, Texas naturally following Jo's pealing instructions step by step even though it was for boiled rather than mashed potatoes.  Every one loved the taste of the potatoes and It was perfect for the Beef Bourguignon.  I thank God for teachers like Jo.  So then, the meal was dedicated in my heart to my friend Jo.

I was surprised by how much joy this memory brought me.  Today I woke up thinking of Jo Brandenburg who was a surprise in my life for a short time of friendship but the joy of crossing paths with her will last my life time.  God is good! all the time!!!