5 Different Kinds of Macaroni

I titled this blog Potluck Life, because it seemed to convey exactly how I felt about my life and all the people that come in and out of it.

Or maybe I happened to pass by a church while I was thinking.

Or maybe I was also (as usual) thinking about food.

Or maybe it is because I am so completely random, there will be no dominant theme throughout this blog. Aside from randomness.

But maybe it does actually convey exactly how I feel about my life and all the people that come in and out of it.

Anywho...

I was raised in church. And when I say church, I mean Baptist. And when I say Baptist, I mean Southern Baptist. And when I say Southern Baptist, I mean painstakingly stereotypical Southern Baptist Churches. I now attend a mini-mega church, with huge buildings and endless Sunday School rolls. But my favorite memories as a child all involve the small, country churches that I attended as a child. I was inflicted with the horror (as a child) that Jesus could literally pop down out of the sky at any given moment. The older I get, the more I long for that, but as a 7 year old girl- I would just pray that He hold off until after Christmas, or my birthday, or some other earthly celebration that I did not want to miss. One of these small, but equally enjoyable, celebrations were 5th Sunday Singin's and Potluck Dinner Fellowships.

I loved... okay fine - LOVE, present tense - Potluck Dinner Fellowships. My favorite part of belonging to a church is the fellowship. And my favorite part of fellowship, and this is not limited to church, is food. I can look forward all day to Mawmaw Belle's special chocolate cake, or that-old-lady-whose-name-I-don't-know's chicken casserole. I will literally starve myself all day, just so that I have room to sample 5 different kinds of macaroni and cheese.

Macaroni. And. Cheese. Is there anything that is better? I doubt it. And the amazing thing is, all macaroni and cheese dishes are primarily just that- macaroni... and cheese. But every old lady in northeast Alabama seems to have a secret ingredient that makes HER macaroni a little bit different, and maybe a little bit better, than all the others.

Extra melted cheese baked on, like frosting to a cake?
Ritz crackers on top?
Yellow cheese?
White cheese?

I have to stop or I may die.

Now, to disuade you from thinking I am a glutton- I will get to the philosophical meanings that Potluck Dinners hold for me.

I am now in my mid-to-late twenties. This is a fact that I choke on everytime I say it. But as I look back on the 26 plus years of my life, I can pinpoint exactly, certain instances and people that influenced me, for better or worse. I can even remember, in detail, certain conversations I had, or good, and bad, advice that I have received. And the thing about all these people is that when you break it down, they are all just human. Flesh and blood, just like the thousands of others that I forgot ten minutes after meeting. But there were certain things about each one of these few that made them different and special and unique. That made them memorable.

Were they honest, but with a sense of humor?
They listened without judging?
Had unconditional loyalty?

And then there are, of course, those pieces of ham in the macaroni (Don't put meat in mac and cheese. It's gross).

Habitual liars.
Debbie Downers.
Backstabbing B-words from middle school. (That stuff stays with you!)

But nonetheless, you will never be happy if all you eat is the dish that you brought. To really enjoy a good Potluck, you have to be willing to sample all the cuisine. Even the macaroni and cheese with the ham. But just once. Trust me.