Thanksgiving 2011 - Plan B

Sometimes, things just don’t turn out the way you planned. You’ve probably heard the saying...If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans...? Well, I don’t know if God really laughs at all our so-called perfect plans, or if He just shakes His head in quiet amusement. Who knows....Maybe He even feels sorry for us sometimes...? I’ve learned that plans are great, as long as you remember that even the best laid plans can change... at any moment.

Making plans is a big part of my job. I plan music for liturgies each week, and I write lesson plans for the classes I teach. I develop my short and long term goals and devise plans to meet them. I am very particular about my plans...I have even formatted my own color-coded templates. But, no matter how thorough I am, and regardless of my attention to details, I know my plans are subject to change...for any number of reasons...and there is nothing I can do about it. 

As a church musician, I have experienced just about every musical (and non-musical) train wreck imaginable. One time, at a wedding, I was singing a song as the bride and groom lit the unity candle. Just as the song was ending, the bride leaned in to blow out the flame on the taper,  and caught her veil on fire. My accompanist and I made eye contact for a second, then he played his way back to the beginning of the song, and I just kept singing, as if nothing unusual was happening. Now, that was not in the original plan, so we quickly switched to Plan B. And we decided what Plan B was in about two and a half seconds: Sing the song again and keep singing until somebody puts the fire out. (By the way, no one was hurt, and it’s a good thing the veil was a one time deal.)

I’ve gotten pretty good at coming up with last minute Plan Bs. I don’t get rattled very easily and I’m usually calm and level headed in an emergency. So, yesterday, when Anthony asked me to call his sister (30 minutes before we were supposed to arrive at her house for Thanksgiving dinner) and tell her he was too sick to go, I didn’t panic. I did wish, for a split second, that I had followed my gut instinct (the day before) and bought that cute little 12 pound turkey I saw at the grocery store...And, I felt bad about our friend  who was supposed to meet up with us at my sister-in-law’s. Then, I stopped myself and said (out loud...but only in my head): OK, everyone, let’s just take a deep breath...We’ll just go to Plan B. 

Wait. Does anyone have a Plan B?

Plan B ended up being our dear friend, Mollie, going over to my sister-in-law’s to pick up our Thanksgiving dinner, To-Go. We ate our turkey and stuffing and potatos and cranberries in our stocking feet. Anthony sat at the table for a little while, then camped out on the living room couch, all comfy and warm.  Later, I whipped some cream and grated some fresh nutmeg for the pumpkin pie that came with our Meals-on-Wheels. C’mon...It doesn’t get any better than that!

Now, I’m not saying there wasn’t any disappointment over not going to Anthony’s sister’s house. Of course there was. Anthony felt bad for all of us, we all felt bad for Anthony. But I don’t think Plan B ruined anyone’s day, and it certainly didn’t change the fact that we still have lots to be thankful for...Like the fact that Anthony’s sister is a really good cook and that she sent us more food than we could finish! Then, there’s Mollie, who is so sweet and always  ready to help...She was happy to pick up the food and bring it to us. Just seeing her walking up the driveway with a big smile on her face, carrying a beautiful bouquet of flowers, warmed my heart. Finally, after a mostly miserable day, confined to the sofa and feeling so sick, Anthony was able to get up and eat some of his favorite holiday food. That was a blessing beyond measure!

Anthony and I have hosted many Thanksgiving dinners. I’ve set beautiful tables with festive linens, holiday china, crystal goblets, shiny silverware, napkin rings. I‘ve made centerpieces, the likes of which Betty Crocker and Martha Stewart would envy. But, yesterday, our table looked more like a desk at a nursing station than a dining room table. With two plastic trays of Anthony’s prescription bottles, a few stacks of sorted mail, and some scattered papers pushed out of the way, we ate our Thanksgiving dinner. I’m here to tell you, it was no less special. After all, we had what was most important. Anthony’s sister sent us plenty of good food to fill our tummies...And, in the true spirit of Thanksgiving, there was a great abundance of love to fill our hearts. You know, it’s kind of funny...With all the extra table setting niceties stripped away, the more important things stood out. 

So, the next time things don't go exactly as you've planned and you have to improvise, try not to automatically look for what's missing. Instead, be on the lookout for the hidden gifts in what awaits you. Plan B may very well be filled with an abundance of blessings...Oh, that's Blessings...with a capital "B."