Let There Be Light

There was a knock on the door a few minutes after all the lights went out. Our company stood waiting to be admitted for my celebratory birthday dinner. I had planned everything absolutely perfectly so that everything would go flawlessly. Bob and I had just put the baked potatoes and a most gorgeous Prime Rib of Beef into the oven set at 450 degrees, turned on the overhead exhaust fan, and set out the hors d’oeuvres. The salad and rolls were already on the dining room table, the fresh string beans and gravy ready to heat up on the stovetop burners. Our first two guests had already arrived and we were eagerly awaiting the arrival of three other friends. Time to have cocktails and relax! Just then the lights and everything thing else electrical-including the oven and stovetop went dark. “ Oh no!” we all said in unison. We thought possibly turning on the exhaust fan blew the fuse. Bob went to investigate only to discover our entire neighborhood was in the dark. “ How in God’s holy name, are we going to cook our dinner?!!” And, besides the cooking, it’s way too hot and humid and the A/C is not working. Soon it will be getting dark and we have no lights. Luckily we also have a lanai with another large table and enough chairs for our guests. Thank goodness I have plenty of hors d’oeuvres to hold us over until we can decide what the hell we’re going to do with the main course! I try my best not to loose my festive mood and I tell myself “remain calm”. We remember that there is a gas grill in the garage - this beautiful rental is well stocked - and so we collect the potatoes and the Prime Rib and escort them out to the grill in the front driveway. We had researched how to cook our “beautiful”roast in the oven but honestly we have no idea how to cook it on a grill. We’ll “wing it” with decide as we’re too harried for another “ Google recipe search “. The pot of string beans and the gravy won’t fit on the grill and the stovetop is electric therefore I sadly give up on serving them. Fortunately, the Caesar Salad is plentiful and ready to be served so I fill the salad plates on the dining table and distribute them to my congenial friends on the lanai. Napkins and silverware are also transported outside. Everyone seems relaxed and comfortable, so that makes me happy. All of a sudden one of our guests goes into the house and lets out a joyful sound. The lights are back on!! I’m able to heat up my gravy and mushrooms on the stovetop as we serve our potatoes and rare Prime Rib (actually the exact way I like it). We play a couple of rounds of “ Who am I?” before my dear friends sing the “ Happy Birthday 🎂 song” and we finally get to sit at our dining table inside for our yummy chocolate cake and key lime pie. Later as our guests are leaving we see that the electric company’s truck is parked down the street and the workers are feverishly working on restoring electricity to our neighbors. Bob attributes our early restoration of power to the fact that when he called “Florida Power and Light 💡 “ he mentioned that it was his wife’s 79th birthday and we were trying to make a special dinner to celebrate with our friends. I, on the other hand, couldn’t help but think that it had something to do with the theme of today’s homily at the 3PM Mass at St. Francis of Assisi - Day Light Savings Time and how Light and Truth overcomes the darkness. And, yes, Rose 🌹, the potatoes came out fine in spite of it all.