The best text message in all the land!

As a mom, I get many text messages throughout the day. Lots of these come from my kids, and some are definitely better than others. My least favorite are the cryptic ones that shoot my anxiety all the way to Mars: "Are you home?" "Can I call you?" "Why aren't you answering your phone? Are you in the temple?"

The all-time worst text message was from Isaiah about five years ago. I was teaching a gospel principles class on a Sunday morning, when this came in: "I messed up, and I need help." Okay, pause.  Isaiah is the smartest person I know and the most responsible. He carefully monitors every area of his life, sets goals, achieves them, and always makes informed, well-researched decisions.

Still, the text kinda threw me. Keep in mind my super hero persona: "Anxiety Girl: Able to jump to the worst possible conclusion in a single bound!" And jump I did. Thoughts of him in jail or freezing at the bottom of a ditch somewhere raced through my mind as I ran out of class and into the foyer. I remember saying something to my class like, "Uh, I need to go make a call. Go ahead and talk about whatever we were talking about." Turns out Isaiah was in the middle of the application process for his first career job out of college, and he somehow missed the email from HR telling him to go take a drug test the previous Friday. He wanted me to help him write a reply explaining and apologizing. That I did, and he got the job. Whew!

After that fiasco, I know you're all dying to find out what is the best text message in all the land. Well, let me tell you. It's these four, simple words:

Can I cook tonight? 

When I see those words on my phone, my heart sings with joy. My breathing slows as endorphins flood my body and brain. As most of you know, I hate to cook. And I totally suck at it. That beautiful, shiny text message means I don't have to decide what to make for dinner. I don't have to shop for the ingredients. I don't have to cook the food, and I don't have to clean up the mess. Can I get an "Amen"?

Never in my wildest dreams did I think this scenario could happen to me...and regularly, even. But it does. A few months ago, Isaiah began to experiment with Asian cooking. He loves Asian food, and I certainly don't know how to cook it, so he took matters into his own hands. He's made various noodle dishes, including Ramen and Pad Thai, a fried chicken entree, and a couple different Pho recipes. So far, everything has been delicious. 

Then a couple weeks ago, Seth sent this same text message. Seth! Say what? I was, uh, shocked? He never cooked anything until he went to Paraguay, and there he learned to make eggs and rice but not much more. He, too, loves Asian food, and I think eating Isaiah's meals spurred him to try cooking. He made this bowl of cheesy noodles with shrimp and cilantro. It was so good.

As Mother's Day approached, Shulamith and I were complaining to each other that we shouldn't have to cook for everyone that day, when we are the two mothers. So she hatched a plan to get Matt to do most of the work. I bought ribs, and he smoked them all day; in addition, she talked him into making three loaves of sourdough bread from scratch. So basically, he prepared the whole meal. I opened a can of baked beans, and Shulamith made a pasta salad, but really, it was all Matt. Ooooh, those smoked ribs were yummy, and the bread....well, imagine warm, homemade bread straight out of the oven.

By this point I had three guys cooking meals for me. What could be better?

Nothing, I thought, until today. Shulamith and I were out for one of our multiple walks, and she said "I'm making enchiladas tonight. Do you and Isaiah and Seth want some?" Uh, YES! Later in the evening, I stepped out my back door, turned left, and walked around 50 steps to meet Shulamith "on the grass" (as we call it) and brought back these lovely enchiladas:

Mmmmm! She worried they might be too spicy for me, but nope. They were perfect. Because, again, I didn't grocery shop, cook, or clean up. 

So those of you who like to text me, be informed. The best text message in all the land is this one:

Can I cook tonight?