Once again, the Ray Ford family wanted to have a fun different kind of celebration, well at least Ray did!! Esther, our middle daughter, was graduating from Stillwater High School, and it is a big deal up here to throw graduation parties and invite all your friends and their families. Well, we are all about having people over, and love a good excuse to throw a party, but, I am usually in charge of the food!
Ever since we left Louisiana 16 years ago, Ray has been wanting to have a crawfish boil! Since this was our last kid to be born in LA, we decided, no better time than now, but I told Ray, he had to be in charge of the crawfish boiling part, that was not my area of expertise!! So, Ray got online about a month before the party and ordered the crawfish (and shrimp, just incase some people were grossed out at the thought of pulling those suckers apart and sucking the brains out)!! We had about 50 lbs. of fresh LIVE crawfish and shrimp coming our way arriving the morning of the party. We wanted them to come the day before, but the company we were using insisted that this is how they do it and guaranteed they will be fresh!! So ok, we went with the recommendation, gave them our credit card, and off we go!!
We planned all the rest of the food to go along with it, lots of finger foods, but the main event was going to be the crawfish and shrimp from the Bayou!! As time grew closer, Ray went to Atwoods and bought a HUGE outdoor boiler and by the morning of the party, we were sitting on go. As the guaranteed time of 10 am came and went, I began to get a little nervous, but decided to relax, and knew that these people do this all the time and they would make good on their promise. Ray was at the hospital and wasn't even thinking about it, until on his way home, at 2pm, he received a phone call. They said they weren't sure what happened but last they heard our delivery was stuck in Memphis!! By the time Ray got home, we went into full "back up and punt mode"!! We had plenty of finger foods, but what was the main course gonna be? After discussing crockpots full of little smokies, platters of coconut chicken from Thai Cafe, and peanut butter sandwiches, wouldn't be great, but better than nothing, Ray decided that he would just go buy every bag of shrimp in Stillwater, and we would just explain to our guests what happened and why there was no crawfish.
An hour later when he got home, believe it or not, he had 50 lbs of shrimp AND crawfish, all from Walmart!! I never knew, and about half the price of what we had origanally ordered it for. He went to work boiling all the shrimp, crawfish, potatoes, and corn, and as our guests arrived, no one was the wiser, unless we told them. It turned out great, we all ate to our fill, and enjoyed celebrating our middle daughter and all the graduates.
The next morning however, after I called the company and requested our money be credited back, which they did do, I asked them about the pending late arrival of the crawfish and shrimp. She told me that surely FedEx would not deliver 50 lbs of dead crawfish after 48 hours. Well 30 minutes later, guess what was on our porch, stinking up the entire place and calling every varment in from all of Payne County?! As my dad used to say, "Gag a mother maggot!!" It was the worst thing I have every smelled. Needless to say, we got rid of the fish, and the smell has returned to somewhat normal, though ever once in awhile, I get a whiff of something still lingering in the air.
No great spiritual lessons here, just another typical Ford adventure that something had to go wrong. Well, except, for the brief moment, I started to panic, but figured, we don't have to have crawfish to love on people and make them feel welcome. Then God gave us the crawfish anyway!! A dear friend of ours' mom used to always say, "A house is to bless, not to impress!" And I was thinking, it's the same with crawfish or anything else we serve our guests!! No impressing here!! But all's well that ends well, and Esther felt loved. God is good.
Yeah graduates of 2019,
JJ
Well, found this post that I forgot to post!!! HaHa!! This was written back in February!
It's been awhile since my last post. Waiting on something funny or exiting to happen in our lives to write about and all the while, life just keeps ticking away. Here we are, half way through February, 2019, and I just have life to share. This year, Ray started off his January by having an old football injury from Baylor repaired. His ankle bone had turned to mush, and he had that cleaned out and replaced with cadaver bone, which will hopefully give him a stronger ankle than he has had for almost 30 years. For several weeks, I was his hands and feet, as he was in alot of pain and unable to do anything. After he recovered at home for the first week, WE returned to work, as he needed help opening, closing doors, carrying things, and just general cheerleading and support for the next week. After 2 weeks, I returned back to my normal job, home maker, and guess what, Josh came down with the FLU!! Glory, another week of being nurse and staying home. I am grateful I was able to be here with my crew, and thankful that my life if full of appointments that can be cancelled without major consequence. I am not complaining, it is just factual that it has been a few weeks of service and nursing. Well, here I am again, with Anna home with the FLU!! I should have just let them all cough down each others throats, like I used to when they were little, and have them sick all at the same time instead of dragging it out!! Anyway, more time at home to think, pray, and just be.
Through this process, I have had some moments where I was really proud of myself. What a servant I am!! Not complaining, joyfully taking care of everyone else's needs, cleaning, laundry, cooking, and all while others, who were healthy, in the household continued with their normal lives. I felt like I deserved some gratitude, which I did receive on and off throughout this last month. But I was really feelin' like I was amazing, and humbly happy to serve. UNTIL.......... there was a few moments that I was treated in less than a kind way by some of these family members that I had been bending over backwards to serve.
Seriously!!! I couldn't believe it!! After all I had done for them, and I get treated like THIS!! Unbelievable!!! After one specific incidence, I went out to the car, only place to be alone in this house, got in and closed the door. I began to cry, and pour my heart out before the Lord, "Lord, I can't believe after all I have done, and how kind and sweet I have been, and how serving I have been, that they would treat me like crap!! How can you let this happen? I don't deserve this!!"
"I DON'T DESERVE TO BE TREATED LIKE THIS!!" I yelled.
I felt the Lord say, "Neither did I. And JJ, I really didn't deserve it, you actually have done some things before that might warrant this, but not me. And is the servant greater than the Master?"
"No Lord, so I must go back in there, take it, and trust that this is taking up my cross, suffering with Christ, and humble myself before You and as unto You, and You will lift me up?"
"Yes, my dear child, trust Me."
I went back in, with a peace that God would reveal to the offenders their offense, and that MY offense was my pride!! I was just as guilty as they were. Shoot!! Just when we think we have it all together.
God did restore, and convict where needed, and apologizes, forgiveness, and reconciliation happened. But this was just the beginning for what God was wanting to show me. I have been studying David in Bible study, and 2 things have really stood out to me recently. One is that David was so humble.
When David finally received the Davidic Covenant from God, and was promised all these wonderful things, kingdom, house, throne, how did he respond? "Who am I, Lord" He was so humble! Now this is the guy that had been anointed 20 years ago to be king. This is the guy that slayed Goliath, this is the guy that they had sung, "Saul killed his thousands, but David killed his 10,000s!!" Everyone knew and loved David in Israel, and yet David was humble!! Who am I?
When I went out to the car and was lamenting to the Lord over my heart ache, hurt, and wounded-ness, I was saying to the Lord, "Do you know who I AM?? NOT, Who am I?! How can You let this happen to ME? I don't deserve this, I am someone special!!" Wow!! My response and prayer to the Lord is so convicting. It is a miracle and by the grace of God that He even does one more good thing in my life from this point on, and I am to be eternally and humbly grateful for His goodness and mercy in my life.
The second thing that stood out to me from David in this specific passage of scripture, was that when David prayed back to the Lord after God had spoken the Davidic Covenant to him, that He prayed the very things God had just promised him right before. He prayed God's promises BACK to Him. Now I KNOW we are to pray God's word back to Him, but I feel like I have been lazy in doing this, and just praying my own pitiful words. I was inspired, convicted, and reminded to pray God's promises daily in my prayer life. Remind Him of what He has said and stand confidently on His word. To do this, I must be IN the word, meditating on it, and knowing it. What a good reminder for me. God is faithful to His promises. God is faithful to me. Always.
JJ
