The Cookie Fumble (11/07/2025)

Last night, I took five dozen snickerdoodles to faith formation class to share with the students and their parents. As I lifted the cookie carrier out of my tote bag to set on the table in front of me, there was a horrible glitch, I fumbled the container. The student’s father closest to me tried to recover the fumble, as did I, but we both failed. The sound of the cookie carrier hitting the floor was almost drowned out by the sound of horror from the other spectators. Half the cookies hit the floor, but half stayed in the inverted container, shaken up, but still clean and edible.

The wonderfully helpful father cleaned up the broken cookies as I cautiously set the remaining cookies on the table. And as I took attendance, the rooms participants enjoyed the remaining cookies. I was so glad my recipe made 5 dozen – enough for everyone to enjoy a few cookies even after the fumble.

Life doesn’t always go as planned. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has noticed that. I’m also sure that I’m not the only one who has learned this lesson the hard way. Hopefully, not everyone’s lesson was as public as mine was last evening. But that lesson had other lessons embedded in it. And I wonder if anyone else noticed them. It took me a while to glean them from the fiasco, but that’s why we have rear-view mirrors and reflection.

Most everyone in the room saw the fumble coming. The one closest to me did try to help rescue me and my gift of cookies in the moment. The moans of everyone in the room weren’t disappointment at the cookies they wouldn’t get to eat; the moans were empathy for me and my dilemma. Most people care about one another. Most people want others to do well, to succeed in their efforts. The LORD created us to be good, kind and loving people. And in crunch times, our true nature comes out.

Some folks may look at the cookie fumbling fiasco of last evening and see a huge failure or disappointment. I will remember it as an affirmation of the goodness of others. As we go forward on our lifelong journeys in faith, buoyed by hope, and fueled by love, let us seek the goodness that is in the moments. Let us not give into the temptation to let minor upsets or disappointments color our view of the world, of one another, or of the LORD’s graces and gifts that abound in our moments.

A wise woman told me years ago that people see what they look for. May we be people of faith who see the LORD in our moments and the love of others in our experiences.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.