The Official Writing Challenge
BACK TO
CHALLENGE
MAIN
INSTRUCTIONS
how it works
submission rules
guidelines for
choosing a level
ENTRIES
submit your entry
read current entries
read past entries
challenge winners
Our Daily Devotional HERE
Place it on your site or
receive it daily by email.


TRUST JESUS TODAY

  • Share
  • how it works
  • Submit
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Christmas Cooking/Baking (not recipes) (10/16/08)
Not being your usual, average, or typical person, you could pigeon-hole me as deviating from the norm, being individualistic or perhaps "just being different". Take for instance the average age a young lady learns how to bake a cake, cook a roast, or prepare a Holiday meal. Or the usual age a normal young girl becomes a debutante' and makes her debut into society?

To make the point of my unique abnormality, let me begin with the length of time I spent being a Debutante'-in-Waiting BEFORE ever getting my first introduction to society. Believe it or not, it was just this last Christmas at a fashionable sit-down dinner party for Senior Citizen residents that I finally got the opportunity to make my debut to my peers...the "over sixty crowd."

But as luck would have it, I had to go and make a faux pas, by saying: "This is the best Christmas dinner I've had since I left prison." Of course jaws dropped open, eyebrows rose, and some even stifled gasps as the silver hairs sitting next to me instinctively, but trying hard to be nonchalant about it, moved a few inches away from me on the right or on the left, depending on which side of me they were sitting.

I immediately realized how it must have sounded, so I quickly explained that I had worked and retired as a Correctional Officer at the Women's State Prison, and that the Christmas meals there were delicious, despite what they had read about prison food. I could sense, feel and hear the sigh of relief from my new found friends... for now they were suddenly all eyes and ears, bending closer to ask the innermost secrets of "what goes on behind iron bars". The table now buzzed with conversaton.

Dutifully, I answered their questions, and proceeded to show more of my ignorance by stating that I had never cooked a Christmas meal in my whole life: "My parents were vegetarians, so I never cooked a Christmas turkey", I explained..."Plus," I continued, "I married a chef who had his own restaurant, so I never learned, or even tried to learn kitchen skills aside from how to use a can opener."

So much for my coming out party and my debut as a Retired Debutante' - and so much for my lack of culinary arts. But I did find out that individualistic "differences" can be used to liven up what might otherwise have been a dull and boring dinner party.

God gives each of us something special to share with our fellowman; for some it might be a delicious pecan pie or a Christmas turkey baked to perfection, or like me, (the oddball), just a lighthearted chuckle or smile as I talked about how I wielded my can opener like a Pro.

Besides, who wants to go to all the trouble of cooking and baking just for one?
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
This article has been read 1171 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Beth LaBuff 
10/26/08
This is so cute... love the can opener, the prison references, the debutant, and everything! I enjoyed this light-hearted read.
Joshua Janoski
10/28/08
A fun read! You are right. We all have something unique and interesting to share with others. God gives us all our own special talents, abilities, and stories.

This put a smile on my face. Thank you for sharing it. :)