The Night My Meatloaf and I Got “Stood Up”

from photo bucket
from photo bucket

I worked an extra two days this past week in the pharmacy.  My husband appreciates it when I work extra.  So – I try to do this as a gift to him whenever I can.  Monday night I made an extra big meatloaf so that Greg wouldn’t have to cook supper the next night since I was going to be at work.  (Although – he doesn’t mind cooking when I work.)

When I told the kids I would be working extra – they REJOICED.

“YAY!!!!!  We get to go to Grandma and Granddaddy’s house TWO afternoons this week!!!!!!”

Yep.

They miss me SO MUCH when I am gone.  🙂

We usually always eat supper together as a family at 5:00pm.  But when I work – I don’t get home until 6:45ish.   So, sometimes the kids like to eat at Grandma’s.  Plus – they get to have pizza or mac-n-cheese at Grandma’s – so it is an extra special treat.

I walked in the door Tuesday night – Greg hugged me in the front hallway,  looked at me very sheepishly and said,

“I WAS going to wait and eat leftover meatloaf with you.   Really!  I was!  But….  Mom made country fried steak.  And rice.  And gravy.  She just insisted that I eat with them.”

Country fried steak is Greg’s FAVORITE.  No one makes it better than his Mom.  She is an awesome cook!

Apparently – leftover turkey meatloaf doesn’t hold a candle to Mom’s country fried steak, rice and gravy.

Then he said, “I’m going to run to Lowe’s to get the rest of the slats for our daughter’s new bed.  Bye!”

I COULD HAVE:

  • pitched a fit.
  • got really upset and said, “I expected that we were going to eat together!!!!!  You know how much I love eating together!”
  • said, “You don’t love me!  If you loved me, you would have waited and eaten with me!”
  • fumed about Greg liking his mom’s amazing cooking better than mine.
  • reamed him out for not sitting with me while I ate.
  • assumed that I was not a big enough priority to Greg.
  • given him the silent treatment the rest of the night – or a long lecture – or multiple long lectures.

What good would any of these responses have done anyone?

Thankfully – none of those options even remotely tempted me.

WHAT I DID:

  • understood how much Greg loves his mom’s cooking and told him, “I’m glad you ate with them.  That was so thoughtful of your mom to invite you to eat with them and for her to make your favorite meal.  I can’t blame you for going for the country fried steak over leftover turkey meatloaf.”  I smiled and gave him a HUGE hug.
  • ate my leftover meatloaf in the great room with the kids and asked them about their day while they played with Legos and wooden trains.  I enjoyed my meatloaf, too!
  • thanked him for getting the wood from Lowe’s so that Haley’s bed would be ready for her new mattress the next day.
  • thanked God for Greg’s wonderful parents and for their love for him, for me and for our children and that they live so close by and we are able to enjoy being with them so much.
  • made a mental note, “Make country fried steak more often!”
  • texted him a few flirty messages, “You are probably going to owe me a long massage tonight after standing up me and my meatloaf! ;)”  He said, “You’re probably right.”
  • thanked him for helping our son later with his homework.
  • enjoyed my amazing massage and all of Greg’s attention and a wonderful time of emotional/physical connection after the kids were in bed.

I hope this might inspire you to respond to your man with grace.

You have the power to decide whether to make something a huge, painful ordeal or whether to turn the evening into a memorable time of closeness to cherish.  Use your power wisely, my friends!