Mabel

To you, Mabel, hopefully short tribute:

You are condensed energy. You are one who does not mess around. You have gifts, you use them. You do not complain. Why bother sleeping if there are sticky buns to be made? I enjoyed it so much working with you today and our little team of kitchen elves. The spinach and strawberries couldn't have been better quality. Everyone came together. I know you like it a little quieter, I know it is hard for you to think when we are all asking, "Mabel....what about this? Mabel.....what about that?" but the work got done. I tried to keep quiet and divert some of the questions away from you. You are so smart to get the majority of the work done the day before. And the setting is perfect. Looking out over the room at shocking pink napkins in the goblets... they look like a sea of tulips. There are French doors opening out to the garden and there bloom azaleas in matching hot pink. Big, old azaleas, full of color.

There is so much energy packed into your small frame. It blesses me to just be able to help you. I do not feel any resentment, only joy. The young men opening the filet mignon and marinating it, arguing over how to do it. Competing. Testosterone jokes: "one whole filet for you and one for me". I am smiling but they don't know it. And then when Olivia brings her flowers in, her own gift is glowing. Fragrant roses in the little bouquets on each table. And she says she doesn't have any gifts! Wrong. This is how it should be when we use our gifts, isn't it? At one point -- I suppose it was when you realized things had come together and everything was in place -- you just started praising the Lord out loud, thanking Him and telling Him how good He is and I agreed with you. You even started singing a hymn. And if the Lord wills, tomorrow we shall finish the work of food preparation so that the church can come together and celebrate and finish the work God has given us to do as a congregation.