Mom and Doughnuts and God

Whenever my kids, or anyone asks me what my last meal would be my answer is always the same--Doughnuts!

Cody:    "What about for breakfast?"
Me:        "Doughnuts"
Skylar:   "What about for lunch?"
Me:        "Doughnuts.
Jim:        "And dinner?"
Me:        "Doughnuts!"


But why? There are plenty of sweet, sugary things that I could love just as much.  There is danish and pie, cakes and cookies, why doughnuts? What is it about doughnuts that makes me love them so darn much?

I go back to my first memory of doughnuts....



We would drive 30 minutes to church on Sunday morning and en route would pass Bob's.   While we sat in church my mom would gently rub my back with just enough of her fingernail, that if it weren't for the pew in front of me and her shoulder next to me, I am sure that I would have been asleep.  I can remember loving when we would "let us pray," because I could rest my head on the pew in front of me and close my eyes, I could look like I was praying, and nobody could tell I was moments from coma.  I remember how my eyes would get so heavy, so sleepy, that it was complete torture just to stay awake.  After church I would always pray (at least I was in the right place) that there wouldn't be coffee hour because then we would go to Bob's, Bob's Doughnuts.


Bob's Doughnuts was a brick building about the size of a grandma's house.  It had a large glass picture window and on the window were the words: "Bob's Doughnuts."
I have never even been IN Bob's as there was a drive-thru window! Seriously, how great was that, you didn't even need to get out of your car!


So before church we would pass Bob's and the entire time at church all I could think about was getting a doughnut, a heavenly, warm, greasy, fluffy, cream-filled, custard-filled doughnut.  I was always perfectly behaved in church.  There was zero way I was going to give my mom even one opportunity for the "we are NOT going for doughnuts...you were awful in church!" NOT A CHANCE! I was getting doughnuts, period!


You could smell those doughnuts a thousand feet away, from IN the car.  My heart would stop until I had confirmation that we would stop.

Ahhh, we are turning into Bob's, thank goodness.  


We would pull around the drive-thru and there was a huge window on the side of the building where you see could racks and racks of doughnuts.  I didn't need to see anything, I knew exactly what I was getting....A chocolate covered, five inch long, cream filled, cream stick... which to date is still my favorite.


I remember sitting in the back seat of the car LOVING that doughnut, LOVING church and LOVING Bob's.  Sad thing is, I think Bob's burnt down.  Such a shame, what an amazing childhood memory.  All those poor kids who now have to go to church and pass a burnt-down doughnut shop with no chance for doughnuts for after church.  Awful.


What is it with me and church and the food and beverages that surround going? (See Starbucks) Maybe I am primed for positivity after a good dose of Godly preaching? Perhaps I dislike church so much that anything surrounding church is THAT much better? I don't' think that's it?

Or perhaps... when you go to church you are with the people you love, and THAT is why those things then become sacred? The event, the people, the togetherness, the fact that it is nearly impossible to be angry or mad or in a bad mood after church. Perhaps that is it?!  I sat in that pew with my mom, my brother and my step-dad, my mom was rubbing my back and all was right with the world, everyone was calm, everyone was happy.   And after all that--we got doughnuts!

So doughnuts it is. My favorite food of all time.  I can eat a dozen in a day while cleaning the house. I can eat each and every doughnut,  half at a time of course,  because "I really only want HALF."  Who am I kidding? That dozen has my name on it and I knew it when I only needed three but super-sized to the dozen... Now all I need is my mom to rub my back and then life would be perfect!

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