"Wow! Those look good!" I exclaimed as a plate of brownies was set on the coffee table at the end of our Bible study. An inch thick, frosted and with a pecan half one each one, they looked scrumptious. "Who made them?" I asked, and someone said, "Grandma Ruth."
I asked the quiet, sweet, oldest member of our Bible study what kind of mix she used, and she said, "I didn't use a mix! They are homemade!" It figures, I thought, as I bit into a melt-in-your-mouth treat that had the buttery, chocolate flavor you just don't get from a box. (When one lady demurred because she was on a Daniel's Fast*, I said, "I'm eating your brownie," as I had an irresistible, but smaller, second. They put two in the freezer for her to eat after the fast, though.)
It made me think of my first time to taste a brownie. My teenaged brother, who I think had gotten the recipe from a neighbor, got out cocoa, butter and eggs in Mama's kitchen and produced a warm, chewy, denser-than-cake surprise that delighted us kids. That was in the fifties when cake mixes had just come out (maybe there were no brownie mixes yet) and my mother was discovering an easier way to bake. But nothing in those imperfect, early mixes compared with her homemade creations.
I could just picture "Grandma Ruth" working in her kitchen, measuring and mixing, using the best ingredients for the pan of brownies. After all, this was a work for the Lord that she could do, to produce a refreshment for friends who had gathered to worship, sing, and study God's word. Not that she didn't contribute to the group in other ways, often with a testimony, comment or prayer request that was on her heart.
A largely unnoticed, but faithful member of the group is the hosts' little terrier/spaniel mix, Gideon. He sniffs everyone as they come in, lies patiently stretched out on the floor toying with one of his playthings, or tries to climb on a lap occasionally. He also lies under the piano when the worship leader plays and sings.
We had been warned at the last meeting to keep watch on our gloves, as they are one of their pet's favorite things. When the hostess went into the kitchen for something, she came back holding up a black glove. "Does this belong to anyone?" she asked, then handed me the damp glove when I claimed it. It must have fallen on the floor!
In the small talk following the meeting, I looked up to see Gideon trotting into the room with two puffy additions to his face at each end of a fuzzy grin. Wondering at the comical sight, I suddenly realized something. "Oh my goodness! He's got my earmuffs in his mouth!" I yelled in surprise. Sure enough, he was holding the furry headpiece in his mouth with the earmuffs almost in the proper place! I put them back in my purse and set them behind me, but when I stood up, he perched on the sofa trying to get them again!
What with the sweet presence of the Holy Spirit, the homemade brownies, good fellowship and laughter we left with a case of the warm fuzzies, very welcome on a frigid evening!
*Daniel 10:3, "I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled."
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