Saturday, September 17, 2011

I will not be defeated

Back from Bulldog land, I am more determined than ever to complete a project that I have been messing around with for a week. I started knitting a doll sweater on my Ultimate Sweater Machine (I can't handknit) and have had a heck of a time getting it right. I finally got the back and front knitted, but threw it in a drawer when I couldn't get the two pieces seamed at the shoulders. Today, I woke up at 5 a.m. thinking about how I should not give up so soon --if ever. So today I will start completely over with knitting it. For those of you who like to give up, I want to share this story that has inspired me to persevere when I feel like giving up.

One day on a beautiful Saturday morning Jim and I were at his mom and dad's home in Maben, Mississippi. Jim's precious mom, Matty Vell White, had been putting the finishing touches on a gorgeous strawberry shortcake. Before I continue let me say that she was a wonderful cook. I have never seen a more photo perfect, ready for the cooking magazine cake. The strawberries were brilliant red, the cake layers had been carefully slit into thin little layers, and homemade frosting oozed out between the layers, and sweet strawberry juice trickling down the sides. Oh, my! I could not wait until lunch to eat some of that.

Well, things suddenly changed. All of a sudden, Ms. Matty Vell dipped her finger in the bowl of strawberries, tasted the juice, and with only a slight sigh, picked up that beautiful cake, and walked outside with it. Now, since I had taken a very personal interest in the cake, I had to see where she was going with it. I got up and looked out the kitchen window, and lo and behold, she threw the cake over the fence. I was reluctant to say anything when she returned, so merely chose to watch her next move. This is where I was awed with her composure and perseverance. She got out a mixing bowl and started making another cake--WITHOUT SAYING A WORD--Now, you may be wondering, like I was, what happened. So, I got up enough nerve to ask and she said simply, "I put salt in the strawberries instead of sugar."

Ever since I observed this event I have used her tenacity to begin again rather than give up on something that I know that I can get right if I just give it another try. She was an awesome woman, and I might add that her son, my husband, has inherited her gene in this regard.

Tune in later for my second try on the little doll sweater!

1 comment:

  1. I love this story and think about and tell it to people all the time. I can just picture Grandma Matt doing this. And ohhhh, her strawberry cakes were yummy!

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