Potato Salad and Other Life Lessons

Posted on June 16, 2008
Filed Under Trusting God, Fulfillment, Faith |

Yesterday, being Father’s Day and all, I decided that I’d at least help make dinner. It was nothing fancy; burgers, potato salad and a green salad . . . nothing fancy (except the burgers for which Marc roasted some poblano peppers and covered them with provolone cheese on top of the patties while they were on the grill . . . oh, and then there was the chipotle mayonnaise he made . . . good Lord!). Anyway, I digress.

Having not made potato salad in FOREVER, I found myself wandering through the store while wandering through my mind about what exactly goes into potato salad. God, has it been that long? I even (and I can’t believe I’m admitting this) thumbed through some cookbooks in King Soopers to get a general idea of a basic recipe. My mom would be so disappointed! Nicole, you’ve made this before . . . just do what you know for Heaven’s sake!

So I grabbed some stuff that I thought would make a nice potato salad and came home to start cooking. After boiling, chopping, seasoning, mixing and tasting, I’d determined that at least I thought it was pretty good, but that maybe I’d put too much mayonnaise in it. It was too moist, too smooshy . . . I was concerned because Marc isn’t exactly a mayonnaise fan. It’s ruined. Crap. And it’s Father’s Day . . . dang.

“I think it’s too mayonnaisey,” I say as I put it into the refrigerator in an effort to set his expectation. Bummer. “I’m sure it’s fine,” he kindly responds.

So the burgers are done, plates are set, and Marc, Cole and I sit down to eat. I wait. To my utter and sincere surprise Cole, oblivious to my angst over the darn salad, says, “this is the best potato salad I’ve ever had.” I tell him to shut up. He says, “No really, I usually hate potato salad. This is great!” Marc agrees, so I taste it. It was pretty darn good if I say so myself. All it needed was a little time in the fridge for things to cool, to set, to come together. I made a great potato salad after all.

I guess the lesson here is that sometime things just need time. My grandmother, God bless her soul, used to say “I just want to see it to the end.” I think that was her way of saying what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 7:8 - The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.

The truth is that we can’t assume to know the outcome of anything really. I couldn’t possibly predict that my being a single parent at 16 could turn out so well, and covered by so much of God’s grace. How could I know that after suffering the loss of twin boys that my life would be so blessed and added to by my youngest son who never would have been here as a “fourth” child - believe me! And whodda thunk that this girl, in what used to be a constant state of regret about leaving the study of music, would now be enjoying that very thing as such a large part of her life? God knew. He did. He knew from the beginning.

I think what God asks of us is faith to believe the good that He promises will come, patience in the day-to-day unfolding of that good, and the humility to believe that He, not we, knows what that good is.

I was, admittedly, tempted to chuck the potato salad and run to the store for something else. I’m glad I didn’t. Cole would have missed out on “the best potato salad he’s ever had.” Heaven forbid.

Peace and Blessings,

Nicole