Generosity

My husband and I eat out frequently simply because it’s faster and has easy cleanup. I suppose there is no question about the healthfulness of fast food compared to homemade, but still we are so often in a hurry—life in this high-speed generation.

We do, however, seldom eat at a Chinese restaurant because my husband’s stomach complains when he overdoes fried foods and usually his willpower (or won’tpower) is challenged there.

I said all that to say that since Grandpa was off to the farm today, my daughter and two granddaughters invited me for Chinese for lunch on their day off of school. That sounded fun!

We ate and talked and laughed. Finally, as happens in Chinese restaurants, our waitress brought our bill and a fortune cookie for each of us. Now, I generally don’t do well in the fortune cookie realm. The last time I had been there, my fortune cookie told me that my judgment was off and I would have to rely on my friends. Does that sound like a “fortune”? Doesn’t the very word assure something desirable? If I were a fortune cookie maker, I would include some wonderful (even though empty) promises.

Well, today I let the others choose first and then slowly and reluctantly broke my cookie open. I began to read, “An alien of some sort will be appearing to you shortly!” Trying to be a comfort, my daughter speculated that it might be about an angel. You have to admit, that’s a better thought than a little green Martian.

We gathered our things to leave and as we stopped to pay our bill, a woman in line ahead of us was lamenting that her fortune cookie was empty. “Here, take mine!” I offered.

♫ Many things about tomorrow
I don’t seem to understand
But I know Who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand. ♫