Spamghetti

After two years of marriage Teasha and I decided to have a baby.  One day my wife came home from being a vet tech and with a rounding belly laid on the couch.  As the kind and loving husband I decided to play the superhero and make dinner.  Teasha tried to sit up and give me tips on how to make spaghetti, but I said, "Dear!  Lay down and relax, I don't need instructions or help.  You're going to find out what an awesome husband you have when you eat my dinner."  She was quite pleased.

At this time we still lived in our home town of Cedar City, Utah, and as frequently happened her mother called.  She explained how her wonderful sweet husband was making dinner.  Then she said, "Honey, can you make enough that my family can come over and eat too?"  I thought no, and said yes.

The problem is that's 4 extra people, and there wasn't much meat.  Spaghetti without meat isn't that great, and suddenly my macho manhood is on the line.  There may not be any more hamburger (all right, there's probably some in the back of the freezer, but that would take forever to cook) but I will McGyver this dinner into a culinary masterpiece.  The in-laws will see that I can handle anything.  I just need a quick and easy meat, like Spam.

I realize this sentence will not be popular, but I happen to like Spam.  The first time I had Spam was on a scout trip where our food got lost and I hadn't eaten all day and I was given one can of Spam.  Let's be honest, a can of Spam mixed in with beef in a spicy spaghetti sauce and no one will even know it's there.  I added a few spices, and then did the Brazilian thing.  See, Brazilians put all sorts of veggies in their food.  Peas and corn go well on pizza in  Brazil, surely they'll be fine in Spaghetti in the US.  I am the man!  I've got a dinner that puts my wife's simple spaghetti to shame.  I dumped it all in, added sauce and more noodles, and stirred it all together.  Voila.

By the way, if you're wondering, when you stir canned peas they mush up.  My green Spamghetti looked a little sick, but I thought it tasted just fine.  The next part of the story is controversial.  See, I claim that everybody ate the spaghetti and said it was great until they found out what was in it.  They claim they were trying to be nice without gagging.  Either way that night my wife told me my dinner was not quite as awsome as I had hoped.  I wondered why I didn't get praised for my work and sacrifice.

Here's the real reason behind the problem.  "thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to make spaghetti standing in the kitchen and in front of the family, that they may be seen as a hero. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." (my version of Matthew 6:5).  My heart was on being praised, and on showing how macho I could be.  A tough guy eats spam just as easily as rattlesnake.  A guy who offers to help his wife in order to score points will lose because "if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing." (Moroni 7:6).

If I had truly been thinking of Teasha I would have remembered that she does not like the taste of Spam.  I would have swallowed my pride and asked if canned corn needs to be drained before going into the pot.  I would have taken the time to brown the frozen hamburger from the freezer.  The only reason I didn't make a fantastic dinner was that my pride got in the way. It's hard to change the motivation behind why I do things.  I have to make a focused effort to say, 'I am doing this for the Lord, and because I love Teasha'.  When that is what I concentrate on the blessings increase,  the disappointments lessen, and the service improves.  I will not say I am always motivated for the right reason, but when I find myself stirring a pot of service hoping for praise I remember Spamghetti and I bend my thoughts to look for what is best for the other person.