Sweet!!! Potatoes.

“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” 2 Corinthians 9:11 NIV

One of my favorite memories of our oldest daughter was her complete devotion to food. Like most 16-year-olds she had the metabolism to handle the intake. She also didn’t sit down for more than about 10 minutes at a time, so she had no trouble working off her consumption.

I remember telling her once to help her sister. She responded, “Naw, I’m eatin’!” She realized the folly of that statement shortly after the look on my face changed, but it’s funny now. A consistent favorite for her was potatoes in any form – fries, baked, mashed, instant, she didn’t care.

Her technique with baked is the memory saturating my head today for some reason. Picture a perfectly cooked specimen wrapped in foil. She would unwrap it like she was actually surprised by what was inside, then the work started. She would cut it into two halves and then start spreading it out. She would basically smash it as flat as she could. Butter was next. Like a LOT of butter, then the salt. If your last name has ever been Claiborn salt is considered a healing mineral, to be consumed in mass quantities, for your future.

Most people are sort of finished at this point. Jordy was just getting started. She would eat like a planing mill processes rough cut timber, thin layers. When finished there would still be a layer of potato so she would start again. Butter. Salt. Salt. Microwave. Start shaving. When I say she could eat half a tub of butter on one potato that is not an exaggeration. By the time she was finished the skin of the once round potato was smashed onto the plate like parchment paper. She probably consumed about 3,000 calories per spud. It is a fun memory, but it really was a little bit disgusting to watch.

Sometimes I wonder if anyone who ever reads these posts thinks I am always sad and grieving. That is not the case. Some pains are permanent, but some of the joys are too. Some days I miss her so much taking a breath seems hard. Some days I cannot make it all day without laughing at something about her. I guess the tricky part is balance.

She declared herself as sort of the Commissioner of Thanksgiving. If you eat at our house, you take turns telling what you are most thankful for. She did have a hard and fast rule that you were not allowed to say “family and friends”. Her reasoning was sound. Without that rule everyone would say that, so we called that as a given. What else?

Every single person I have ever met has hard things in their life. We are not unique in that. I know people who have lost everything, multiple kids, a spouse, a job, a house, health, confidence and on and on. But every single person I have ever met has one thing they cannot permanently lose – peace. I know people who do not have it from time to time. I know people who only hang onto it loosely, struggling between times of their own grip being sufficient. But thankfully, the peace offered through Jesus Christ is not a moving target. He does not force our grip open to our detriment. Whenever we lose our grip, He stays right with us so we can squeeze more firmly than before.

What are you thankful for? You know the rule. Sometimes I am not specific enough when I am thanking God.

Go around your own table and tell people. Lift your hands to heaven and tell Him too. I think He likes to hear it too.

Challenge: I have so much to be thankful for. I think my life is beautiful. Sometimes I ask God to slow down time so I will remember it better. I want to savor every layer like butter – and salt.

Rick Claiborn