I was feeling pretty “blogged down” today and was having trouble coming up with anything interesting to post. So I asked my husband for something short and funny to blog about. He did not disappoint. “Tell the ice cream story,” he suggested.
Last week, while I was at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference in San Jose, my brave husband decided to tackle some grocery shopping with our two children in tow. Actually, he does this most weeks — so yes, he deserves a husband of the year award. Anyway, Mr. Amazing Dad tells our kids that they can each pick out an ice cream treat. While he is helping our daughter reach something in the freezer, our son runs up and shows his dad what he picked. “That’s great. Put it in the cart,” my husband tells him and our son obeys. So dad and daughter return with her chosen item, retrieve the cart and continue shopping. Meanwhile, our son is staring forlornly at a woman pushing a cart away down the aisle and around the corner.
“Dad! Dad! That woman just took my ice cream!”
“What?”
“I thought THAT was our cart!”
So, Dad and kids wander the store, peeking into other carts and talking to various women shoppers around the store, hoping to find the AWOL ice cream. No luck. They finally return to the freezer section and get another package. Someone is going to have a surprise at the checkout stand!
As they take their place in line, Andrew spots the missing package in the cart in front of them. My now-very-embarrassed husband explains the mix-up and offers to return the ice cream to the freezer.
The woman who had unknowingly received the sweet treat finds the whole situation hilarious. “No, leave it. My kids will love it!” She even asks my son his name, so she can tell her kids who picked out their treat.
Okay — a gospel parallel for this story — you knew it had to be coming, right?
Sometimes God knows when you need ice cream.