Week 144: Cream Cheese Middle
Summer sausage and living with life’s frustrations…
Each Sunday, my wife and I cook and eat a meal together — intentionally. Every Friday, I’ll be sharing our experience here in this space. I want to see the growth that will come in our marriage because of this. I hope you enjoy our story. You can find last week’s post here.
It has become an early December tradition. After Sarah comes back from the craft show with my personal favorite gift, we make a meal using this tasty ingredient. I am, of course, referring to the summer sausage that Sarah gets every year from one of the vendors at the show. Last year, we made breakfast quesadillas, and they were INCREDIBLE.
This year, the craft show weekend didn’t go entirely as planned. Sarah’s mom got sick and wasn’t able to go. Sarah and her sister-in-law still had a great time, and Sarah did bring home that summer sausage. But her mom had to stay in bed all day — something that nobody really enjoys doing.
Overall, the weekend had been a good one. While the girls were at the craft show, us boys put up the Christmas tree and went out to eat at our favorite local diner. Then Sarah’s cousin had everyone over for a party that evening. And we continued a very special Schoettle family tradition. There’s one vendor at the craft show who makes handmade ornaments. Each year, Sarah’s mom gets ornaments for everyone in the family. It’s amazing to see the collection that Dale Susan Schoettle have, and now Sarah and I have begun to compile our own.
Despite all that, there was no denying that having Sarah’s mom get sick on this of all weekends put a little bit of a damper on things. She looks forward to this weekend all year, and she couldn’t even get out of bed.
The drive home the next day — Sunday — was cold and snowy. Winter weather has a way of exacerbating any inner dreariness you might be feeling. We got home and thought about what we could make. The summer sausage was right there, and Sarah had an idea for how to use it. She sent me to the store for some cream cheese, and we were off.
Curled Edges
Sometimes life throws us curveballs. Sometimes we get sick. We don’t see it coming and it can be frustrated when it happens. It’s added pressure. Usually that’s the last thing any of us need, right?
We started making the summer sausage bites. Sarah sliced them and we began cooking them on the stovetop. I love the hearing the sizzle! Just the sound makes your mouth water.
But I noticed something as the sausages began to cook — the edges began to curl up. The heat was turning them into these little cups.
As I thought about it later, that’s exactly how I feel sometimes. It’s like life turns the heat on me and my edges begin to curl. I feel the pressure on all sides and it all kind of caves in on me. I usually feel this way when unexpected things happen that cause worry or anxiety — which for me is pretty often.
What was most interesting was what came next, though.
Those little summer sausage cups ended up being perfect for what Sarah had in mind. I grabbed the cream cheese from the fridge, and we scooped out little dollops. They fit perfectly into the little cups. And they tasted great, too!
Living Anyway
It would be too simple to say that anytime something bad happens we should just scoop the metaphorical cream cheese out, put on a dollop and everything will be okay.
Thankfully, that’s not the point I’m trying to make.
Our edges curl from time to time, just like the summer sausage. We feel the heat and the pressure, and I don’t think anyone can say that they never let it get to them.
At the same time, maybe those curled edges are part of life. Maybe it will prep us for the next stage, just like the summer sausage was perfectly ready for the cream cheese. It’s not to discount the frustrations and the pressures and overlook them. Not at all. That’s just a form of kicking the pressure a little farther down the road each time until it’s built up so much that we can’t ignore it any longer.
It’s not about overlooking that bad, it’s about acknowleding it and living anyway.
Sickness. Pain. Turmoil. Injustice. They all happen. It’s unfortunate, but it’s true. To overlook them would be wrong. To let them consume us would be crippling. We have to acknowledge them, deal with them, and live anyway.
I’m still trying to learn how to accomplish this myself. With the help of God, my wife, my family, and my friends I’m making some progress.
One step and one cream cheese-topped summer sausage at a time.
