I was in a tizzy. An outright full-blown panic tizzy. I just wasn’t ready.
Thanksgiving was here, and I wasn’t ready. As I sat and thought about it, I realized that I had just two days before Thanksgiving, and I had not started anything.
It was time to get busy.
The first thing I did was bow my head in prayer and tell God that I just wasn’t ready, and I would appreciate another week until Thanksgiving. I gave a rather sad chuckle and then grabbed my notebook paper.
Since I am now a senior citizen, I have discovered that I cannot remember anything, so I have to write everything down and create lists. I started with my list of what I needed to buy for the Thanksgiving Day menu. Then I ordered the ingredients. Next, I started a new list consisting of what I would serve to my house guests on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after Thanksgiving. They were staying at my house.
My third list contained all the house work that needed to be done to prepare my home and get it ready for family. I knew I needed to vacuum, mop floors, dust, and clean bathrooms. I really needed to clean my husband’s bathroom which requires a hazmat suit, rubber gloves, and an entire bottle of antibacterial cleanser. Yes, he has his own bathroom that I try to never enter, but I unfortunately do have to enter to clean.
I always dreamed of being able to build my own home where I would install a bathroom just for my husband and sons. It would be covered from floor to ceiling with polished concrete, a sink in one corner, and a toilet and urinal in the other corners. The center of the floor would have a drain, and a pressure washer with high impact spray nozzles and soap like typically found at car washes would be attached to the wall. But since I have not been able to build my own home, I have to make do with what I have. So I get in there and battle the germs like a gladiator.
When I finished ordering food from the grocery store, I suddenly realized that my little grandson would be turning three years old less than a week after Thanksgiving. This meant I would have to throw a family birthday party with decorations as well. There began list number three.
Yes, I was now in a serious panic. I looked at the dining room table stacked with Christmas presents that had yet to be wrapped. I knew I needed to do that ASAP before Thanksgiving because I didn’t want any snooping children looking for Christmas packages throughout the house.
I added that to my list.
With my lists clinched in my fist, I grabbed my purse and started to the door with my husband trailing behind me.
“Honey,” he said, “why are you in such a rush?”
I turned to look at him with a disbelieving stare. My eyes were wide open as I spoke to him as if he were five years old. “Duh, Thanksgiving is coming, and I have a million things to do!”
“Well, you know I will help you. All you have to do is tell me what to do,” He said, smiling.
“It’s the same old, same old. I need you to mop floors, vacuum floors, and help me with the house cleaning so I can do the cooking.”
“You know I will help. I’ll get started on that next week.” He said looking down at his phone and scrolling with one finger.
“Next week!” I shrieked. “Are you seriously kidding me? Thanksgiving is in two days! I need you to help me and get busy tomorrow!”
My husband’s head shot up from looking at his phone and I saw his eyebrows go up almost into his hairline… If he had a hairline. What was he looking so shocked about? I’m the one with the most work to do.
“Um, Vick?” He said in a very controlled way. “Sweetheart, Thanksgiving is not in two days; it is in nine days.”
“No it isn’t! Don’t you know what day it is?”
My husband’s sighed, looked down at his phone, scrolled to his calendar, and turned it facing me.
He was right. It was nine days away, not two. I’ve never been so relieved in my life.
I closed my eyes and thanked God for the extra week I needed while even acknowledging that He really didn’t perform a miracle, but nevertheless, I felt it was a gift. The next thing I did was go to the grocery store to pick up all that Thanksgiving food I had just bought, some of which would go bad before Thanksgiving and couldn’t be frozen, and I would turn around and have to buy again next week.
Unbelievable. It was completely aggravating, and yet, at the same time, such a relief! Now I had nine more days to get everything done.
Uh, oh. I just thought of something else I need to do… get the Christmas decorations down.
On to list number four.
