Having a special meal

When Mom first told me about the supper they planned to attend at my Uncle Paul's house in Worthington, Indiana, I didn't think that much about it. Paul was a special uncle though. I thoroughly enjoyed working for him in his little country store over a span of seven years. Their children grew up less than a half mile down the dusty gravel road from our house, and we were always glad to be together, especially on Sunday afternoons when we all gathered at Grandpa's house. The years have brought changes, including Uncle Paul's family moving to Indiana. I've always wanted to go visit them, but it never did seem to work out. When I heard Mom say that they had one more opening for a guest, she had my full attention. Some time ago at a Raber gathering there was a fundraiser auction for my cousin's husband who needed a liver transplant. Mom went on to tell how Paul and his wife had sold tickets for a deluxe chicken supper. "We got three tickets, but now our daughter Keturah won't be going with us after all, and we are looking for someone to take her place." I raised my eyebrows. Why, it was the same evening most of my children had something planned. I decided to pray about it and see what would work out. Now as I write, I'm twenty minutes from Uncle Paul's house. I have enjoyed every second of the last hour on the road. I simply absorbed the quiet with God as my friend and driver, Barb, kept her eyes on the road. Perhaps on the way home tonight I'll be able to let you know how the evening turned out. Hey, we're homeward bound! What a meal, and what relaxed, sweet fellowship to go along with it! In their yard, in the shade of the towering trees, Leah and her daughter had set up folding tables in a square, then spread them with white tablecloths and set them. Bouquets of fresh cut flowers added their own natural beauty. Sitting next to Dad gave me that feeling of being a queen. Now, I may not be his little girl anymore, but I do enjoy those rare times spent with Dad. Across from me was my baby brother with his family. Cousins with their families filled the remaining seats at the tables. After a prayer of thanks, we chatted around the table and caught up on news in each other's lives as we were served dish after dish of steaming food. Most of the appetizers came straight from the deep frying pan, giving us time to slowly and thoroughly enjoy it as it came. Now I enjoy cooking food for my family or guests, but never have I had five appetizers plus a main course of mashed potatoes, gravy, baked beans, two kinds of chicken, and salad on the side. I kept reminding myself to take only teeny portions of everything, then savor every bit of every bite. There was a nice little break between the main course and dessert. First came fresh peach pie, then this most amazing chocolate peanut butter pie, and ice cream. Once that was completed, the meal was rounded out with my all-time favorite — cheesecake!! Whew, was I ever glad I had sparingly scooped out food and still had room for it. Mmm, the cheesecake was topped with fresh berries such as raspberries, blueberries, and such. I'm not a coffee drinker like some of you, so when I was offered a cup I told Uncle Paul I'd do a half cup only. (I'll sip a bit then whip a good dash of it into my vanilla ice cream, which results in a coffee milkshake.) He came back with the cutest little coffee mug filled with steaming coffee. Now I'm sure Paul didn't know how much I like small glass dishes, but to me that just took the cake — coffee in a mini cup with a slice of cheesecake on a little glass plate next to it. After the one-hour supper, we enjoyed a bit more time together until it was time to head back home in time to meet my children, who would come home from the neighbors at 8:15. The meal may be past, but the memories are tucked inside for keeps. I'll round out with Leah's recipe for chocolate peanut butter pie. Enjoy! Leah's Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie 2 pie crusts, baked Peanut Butter Filling 16 oz. cream cheese, softened 1/2 c. powered sugar 16 oz. Cool Whip 1 c. peanut butter Chocolate Filling 1/2 c. butter7 c. milk1½ c. cane sugar1 c. cornstarch8 Tbsp cocoapinch of salt4 egg yolks1 can evaporated milk1/2 c. chocolate chips Crumbs powdered sugarpeanut butter Peanut Butter Filling: Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar using an electric mixer. Add Cool Whip, mix, then add peanut butter. Mix well. Chocolate Filling: Melt butter, add milk and heat. Mix all other ingredients together, except chocolate chips. Add to heated milk and butter. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Cool. It has to be completely cold before using. Crumbs: Mix a little powdered sugar and peanut butter together with fork until crumbly. Put some crumbs in bottom of baked pie shells. Next divide peanut butter filling in two pie pans, then a layer of chocolate filling. Garnish with Cool Whip and more crumbs. Yummy!