We have been remodeling our kitchen on the pay-as-you-can plan. It’s little by little, piece meal process, get a bid here, get a bid there, here a bid, there a bid everywhere a bid bid. Last November before the Forgotten Carols tour began in earnest we got a very cool, distressed black, massive cabinet that almost fills an entire wall (floor to ceiling, and the ceilings are nearly eleven feet). We’ve been figuring out which dishes to put on the shelves, which pots and pans to go in the cupboards, and what other decorative adornments make it say, Welcome to the McLean Kitchen…Cool isn’t it?
Thus far we’re pretty sure we’ve got the plates, bowls, cups and jars looking pretty hip and happening. On the opposite side of the kitchen, where the stoves and open shelving live, there’s spices, cookbooks, antique coddled egg makers, heirloom cookie jars and other items that either say, “look at me, aren’t I cool too” or “pick a recipe,get cookin’ it’s a kitchen and that’s what we do here”
To the south we have a really unusual old antique oak filing cabinet that used to be in my office. The upper section is like a card catalog that perfectly holds soup cans, pastas, tuna, canned chicken, stewed tomatoes and the like and in the lower pull out drawers we’ve housed the smaller kitchen appliances. It’s not in it’s final resting place because we’re still figuring out how many of the existing cabinets we’re keeping and if we can afford to open up a part of the west wall so you can see into the great room. Hold on, hold on, the bid will come.
I’m taking way to long to get the point. Forgive me, but I wanted to put my happy moment in context. Here was my joy today. Lynne bought a great big glass canister (maybe three gallon size) and I filled it with multi colored peanut M&Ms. It took a LOT of peanut M&Ms to fill that jar (thank you, Costco, for filling needs I never knew I had until I flashed my membership card at your entrance). But it was worth every penny. Walking into the kitchen and seeing that splash of colors all calling out like sirens of old: “melts in your mouth, not in your hands” would make anyone smile. But it did something even more special for me. You see, I adore the candy shelled, chocolate covered peanuts but I rarely get to eat very many because of my diabetes situation. So WHY, you may ask, would you find such happiness filling your kitchen entrance with enough candy to feed a months worth of Avatar 3D fans? Because tonight came the payoff to my investment. Meggan and Alex and the two grandkids came up for the weekend and one of the first things my son-in-law did before checking his facebook page on the computer in the kitchen was reach for a handful of M&Ms. With that first withdrawal from the candy jar came the filling of my well. There’s this moment of sweetness, free of charge and always available whenever you enter our kitchen. And now everyday I see it I’m reminded of something I want to offer anyone and everyone that enters my life…a moment of sweetness, free of charge and always available.
2 Comments
Awe what a sweet yummy story. Thank you Michael for your stories they always put a big smile on my face just when I need it the very most.
I just found this site, became a fan on Facebook, and hope to buy M2BHappy soon(hubby asked if Valentine’s would work). I found you because I blogged today about a song you wrote years ago -”I don’t know how a man’s supposed to feel”. Just replace “man” with “woman”.
I didn’t know until I read a review about your recent M2B Happy that you were a “clinically depressed Type 2″. I never knew this but it made my hard day better to hear that a successful LDS songwriter/moviewriter/putterer suffers from depression. I, too, have been on meds since I was a teen. I’ve lost 2 brothers to suicide. We also have diabetics, just Type 1 -my hubby and 20 month-old daughter.
I find the ones who truly know what happiness AND trials are together, live sincere, heartfelt lives, the ones who can admit life is not always “peachy”, and I feel if they use their talents to help others, they tend to reach a lot of us normal people easier that way. But, just like M2B Happy, I am slowly learning that we need to focus on the blessings, the positive things in life that make us happy.
I know Heavenly Father directs our paths, and he wanted me to know this about Michael McLean. I have stories to tell(and write about)someday and knowing you are out there makes it not feel so impossible.
I wanted you to know that your “Stay With Me” got me through a hard time years ago. I worked in the books department at ZCMI and played that song over and over, every day in their CD player for customers to hear, but especially for me to hear. And all your other songs have touched me(and others) in so many other ways.
Thanks for sharing your story.