Lunch Lessons

I am a fan of the Food Network show, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. When I was planning my trip to Baltimore, there were two places profiled on the show that I wanted to visit. Yesterday, Marilyn and I decided to lunch at the first, Chap's Pit Beef. She thought she had passed it before, and her directions proved to be true. Soon we were looking at our future lunch venue:

In case you can't see it, this place is located in the parking lot of a local gentleman's club (and a gold one, at that). Needless to say, this is not a place that I would stop. The outside is not exactly appealing, not to mention the next door neighbor.

I managed to coax Marilyn out of the car and inside, where the decor isn't much better. But by that time, the promising aroma of deliciousness had gotten to us, we placed our order, and waited for the payoff. Marilyn took this opportunity to visit the facilities, which were actually in the kitchen. Finally our order arrived, and we realized why this place made the show. Simply put, our lunch was absolutely, positively scrumdillyicious.

This experience taught me a couple of lessons. First of all, that you can't judge a book (or a dive) by its cover (or neighbor). Sometimes you just have to act on faith and anticipate wonderful results, which may end up even better that expected. Sometimes the best things are where you would least expect them. And finally, you may never get the good stuff if you don't venture out and take a chance.

All those lessons AND a great BBQ sandwich - what a great way to spend a lunch.

Family

Having only recently seen the movie Hairspray, I am still humming many of the songs, like "Good Morning Baltimore". Since I am actually in Baltimore, I keep wanting to sing it on the streets when I go out. Luckily for everyone, I have managed to resist this temptation.

I am in Baltimore to visit my sister and brother. She lives here with her family, and he is visiting here with his family on a mission trip with his church from Jackson, Mississippi. It's the first time in a few years that we've all been in the same place at the same time.

Since our parents are no longer living, it's just the three of us to keep our family history and memories alive. We are finding out that while we grew up under the same roof, we seem to have sometimes grown up with different parents. But that's the great thing about family - you learn about each other and your parents by sharing those family stories. It's your family who remembers all those stories you want to forget, but also hold all those stories that you want to remember.

It's great to have a little time together, to remember and laugh and appreciate where we come from. We've been there from the beginning, and will be there at the end, telling stories all along the way. There's no history like your own family history, and the best storytellers are those who were with you every step of the way.

Maribeth Marsh Davidson

Many years ago when my mother was not exactly happy with me, she turned to me and said, "I hope you have a child just like you." By the grace of God, I did. God gave me a daughter who has parts of me but is also infused with exciting new parts of her own that I could only hope to be and remarkable other parts that I could never imagine to be. I call this gift Maribeth, and today is her birthday.

Maribeth was born full of determination, talent, laughter, and love. No tree or rooftop was high enough not to climb - she would just find a ladder. No bicycle was too difficult to ride - she would just keep trying until she mastered it. Nothing was insurmountable if Maribeth wanted to do it. She taught herself to play the piano, to read, and to play soccer as the only girl on her team. She has taken flying lessons and hiked part of the Appalachian Trail. She can draw and she can write. Her room was once filled with a KNex ferris wheel and roller coaster. She has completed a half marathon and other races from 5ks to 15ks. Maribeth can do anything she wants to and has the fearless determination to accomplish it all.

She is great fun to be with, and definitely has that Disney gene. She has the ability to make us laugh and embark on new adventures. Maribeth has a tremendous heart and a great capacity to love and help those around her. She lived next to and helped out her grandfather who became seriously ill very quickly. Her other grandfather looks forward to the travels she takes him. She has suffered through broken hearts and disappointments, but still keeps her heart open to share with those who might need it.

Twenty-four years ago, my daughter was born and my life was forever changed. I realized how much good I had in me, because I could see it reflected in my daughter. I can only hope that one day she has a daughter just like her - what a great gift that would be!

Happy Birthday Maribeth - thanks for being you!

Where Men and Speedos Begin

If there is such a thing as an acceptable speedo, this would be it. This would be the only time, and only for this preserved moment in time, because tomorrow he will turn into a pudgy, pasty old man who believes he is still cute and will probably be wearing the same speedo.

Books (And Life) In Review

Today I decided to revisit some of my favorite books that have special meaning in my life. They are part of my personal library, and always will be. The books I'm talking about are:

One fish two fish red fish blue fish
A Fish Out Of Water
Go, Dog. Go!
Hop on Pop

I love these books because they are fun to read. Re-reading them reminds me of all the times I read them to my children, and they began to read them back. I love the fanciful illustrations and their details and colors. I love the simplicity of the language and story. I love these books because of the personal joy and memories they represent. But I love them most because they are the same books I read when I was a little girl.

My family lived on a farm out in the country. My grandmother lived in the house next door and would take me a mile down the road to the Cross's house. This family had all the Dr. Seuss beginner books and would let me borrow them. These books opened a world full of imagination and words, which has always been at the core of my being. The memory of going to this house and picking out the books has special meaning because of my delight in reading and the time spent with my Nannie. But most of all, it was a time that an adult showed me she loved me by enabling me to do something I loved.

The best things in life are those things that remind us we are loved. For me, it's four books that helped me and my children learn to read. Four little books and whole lot of love and memories. Or as Dr. Seuss said,

"Today is gone. Today was fun.
Tomorrow is another one.
Every day, from here to there,
funny things are everywhere."