No Carrots under the Microscope

The Obamas are entertaining this week, along with many of us, but their event is a State Dinner with the Prime Minister of India. There will be the usual dinner party decisions to make, but on steroids:

- their guests include Bobby Jindal and Tim Geithner. No word yet on Padma Lakshmi.

- strangers will care what the hosts wear.

- the menu will be critiqued by world class chefs.

The Washington Post reported this morning that it's not easy to entertain when every carrot comes under a microscope. This is my fear as well.

We have a crowd coming and I confess that I'm feeling the heat. I am worried that my pie crusts won't be suitably flaky and the turkey will be dry (although it will be deliciously wrapped in bacon.) I have full confidence in both our sweet potato casserole and mashed Yukon Golds.

I have conceded that the plates won't match because I don't have 18 matching plates and I can't bring myself to use Chinet. And I don't have enough silverware either. But really, who cares? (Okay, my mother would care, but she's in heaven and chances are she doesn't care anymore either.)

The beauty of having a church key is that I can borrow tables and chairs if necessary. The only problem is that they will look like they were borrowed from a church fellowship hall.

The house will be crowded. We have one usable bathroom. And our dog is susceptible to stress-related incontinence. But again, things will be fine.

Because I am trying not to care if my carrots are examined under a microscope. People who love each other are getting together and the food is secondary. The place settings are an even lower priority.

This is all connected to the church too. Of course.

I know perfect church buildings. The lawns are manicured and there are no unsightly stains on the carpets. Potluck dinners feature matching china.

But those churches are dying.

For the record, I know of many church buildings with leaky roofs and broken fences whose congregations are dying away too.

It's never about these things. It's about relationships and time together. We all know this, and yet we freak out over cloth napkins.

This is my new mantra: it's not about the pie crust. It's about whether or not people know they are loved . . . while eating pie. If the pie is perfect but JTH feels left out of the conversation, we've missed the point.

We all know this. But I'm typing it now to remind myself.

With Advent around the corner, this is a good time to remember what's most important. Not what's at the table but who.

So, who's at your table this week? And do you have a good gravy recipe?