call me frances

The film Bella opens with the line, and I'm sure you've heard it before, "If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans." 

Has your life turned out the way you envisioned it? 

Would you choose to do some things over if you could?

I was considering all of this at the Easter Brunch table Spoke and I hosted.  We were a relatively small group and of the people present, the totality of our life histories included loves, deaths, children, divorces, good health, illness, good fortune, tragedy...

We had great conversations for at the table sat many people of faith; people who believe that from bad comes good. 
 
Our guest ChuChu, a lovely lady from Ethiopia, lost her house in a fire last year.  She has lived in Dallas for fifteen years but has only one cousin in town so when she arrived for brunch yesterday she exclaimed, "I have a family now."

It was my Frances Mayes moment.  That would be Frances from the screenplay Under The Tuscan Sun, not Frances Mayes the author of the book which is very different from the film.  (Loved them both.)  The character in the film, in one short scene, cooks for several people and she's obviously completely in love with feeding the people she loves.  It is the beginning clue that by the end of the movie, she will realize the bounty and the richness of her life, though it's not the life she expected from the start. 

I was equally as happy as Frances when I planned and prepared this Easter Brunch of deviled eggs, French cornichons, ham, shrimp and scallop cakes, potato-Parmigiano gratin, chilled rice with smoked salmon, spring salad with pistachios and warm, breaded rounds of chevre, white beans made creamy with crème fraiche and Herbs de Provence, biscuits and croissants with orange marmalade, lemon cake, fresh strawberries with whipped cream, all preceded by champagne and wine, followed by espresso...

(Put me in a movie!)

That Eddie, Ellie, Ernie and Colleen are no longer with us, in its way, opened our door at 3906 to new friends and good has come from bad. 

I heard God laugh on Sunday but for the first time in several years, I am looking forward to the next holiday.