Pork fat and sweet tea

My camp team came over the other night for potatoes, carrots, sweet tea and pork fat. Ugh! What a horrible cut of meat, it was supposed to be roast. When one of the men walked in he said, "Why does it always smell like Christmas in your house?"
Oh, I don't know. . . maybe the butterscotch candle, or warm sugar cookies and vanilla poundcake simmering oils mixed with hot rolls and pork (fat) roast? He had no idea how flattered I was by his non-chalant off-the-cuff remark. His question incapsulated my goal, verified my sucess. Of course I had all my lights aglow from their perspective perches: ficus trees, the hearth, the balcony, every corner, nook and cranny. I love a gentle, 'smells like love' home full of warm fuzzies. I need to share my home more, it is a must. A gift of God for fellowship. I've failed til now . . . I've been kind of a hermit most of the time for the past, oh let's say, 'some-odd-years' - too embarressed to say. I was too holy for awhile to go anywhere - had to be home praying or studying. What a moron, life was passing me by as I compared myself to the Apostle Paul who was in the wilderness undergoing his secluded training in the school of the Holy Ghost. Then I was too insecure after the horrible 'church incident' and I wasn't sure if I was coming or going anymore, or if Jesus was a liar or a joke or a man of his word . . . . I had to get that figured out laying on the swing and crying for a period of my life. Then I was too preoccupied with 'my time' and 'the house isn't clean' or 'we can't afford it' . . . . whatever.

Anyway, no one but me cared if the roast was mostly fat. Mr. Jiggly Puff, that cat of mine, ate the attention up (and begged for more) and my son adored beating whoever stepped up to bat on video games. No one wound up in tears but it would have been ok if they had (and its usually me anyway.) We hugged, we ate, we talked, we laughed a little, we had coffee and pie for heaven's sake and I got a new candle for a gift. . . . now that's a successful night folks, I don't care who you are, that's success. We all need nights like this in our life.