the macaroni & cheese bowl

I affectionately refer to this as the macaroni & cheese bowl.
When I was a little girl,
my mom would occasionally serve us mac & cheese.
Sometimes she'd even doctor it up with Spam (yuck---sorry, Mom) 
or ground beef and cream of mushroom soup.
And though it wasn't a fancy meal,
she placed it in this bowl and set it on the table.
And somehow,
the ordinary became extraordinary.

She offered me this bowl a few years back.
Immediately I exclaimed,
"The macaroni & cheese bowl!"
She hadn't even remembered.
But I did.
Because that little act somehow made our little family of 4 feel special and acknowledged.
She didn't simply serve us from the pan on the stove.
She surely could have.
It would have saved a dish to wash.
But she simply and lovingly put out her best.

One of my favorite summertime snacks as a child was frozen banana chunks.
I loved the fact that my mom thought ahead
and prepared special treats for my brother and me.
It wasn't till I was an adult that I learned that the summertime treat I loved so much was in response to a small budget.
Money was tight.
Bananas near the end of their life were cheap.
My mom would buy them at the grocery store,
peel them,
cut them into chunks,
and pop them in the freezer.
Not only did it extend their life,
but it provided a refreshing summertime snack for pennies.
Who knew?

Both of these simple gestures hold such special meaning for me,
not because of exorbitant money spent,
but because of her tender love that showed she
noticed us.
She anticipated needs.
And she acted on them.
She faithfully managed her home
and it enhanced the lives of each one of us.

What will our children remember about the way we manage our homes, reading friends?
Do they see in us a glad choice,
a joyful contentedness,
a sweet simplicity?
Do we emphasize the people or the stuff?
Are we investing in building character and memories?
A rest and contentedness that Christ is always, always enough?
Your little investments that may very well seem small today are reaping eternal dividends, dear one.
Be faithful in the little things.
Pour yourself out.
And trust that our God is using you as a vessel of His grace,
showing the next generation what He's all about.

"She looks well to the ways of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness."

Psalm 31:27