It's not about the food.  Right?

It's about connection, warmth, a smiling face nodding compassionately across the table.

It's about favourite jokes and embarrassing anecdotes and the occasional "yeah, I've been there, that's tough." 

I mean, perfectly un-lumpy gravy and handmade biscuits and grandma's famous apple pie are all good, wonderful, beautiful things, but they aren't what most of us really, really long for. 

So friends, believe me, take-out is okay.

Like the time we were tired and stressed out for our daughter's 5th birthday so we invited over an aunt and an uncle with a slew of presents and ordered pizza and a grocery store cake.  Or the time we showed up to a friends house just moments after their marriage had taken a  punch and we ordered Chinese food and talked and tried not to cry but cried just a little anyways.

Or the countless times we've invited people over after church or a parade or whatever and welcomed them to toys on the floor and laundry piled high and takeout.  "So,  um, we're just ordering pizza, but we'd love it if you'd come."

Because, oh-my-goodness friends, it isn't about the food. 

Because if we impress people with our skills in the kitchen but never step out of our comfort zone and sit weak and weary beside them then we will always have people at arms length.

And because the glossy magazine spreads that show us how easy it is to pull off the perfect party are selling us something we don't need.  We want authentic, deep, powerful, simple...not easy and perfect.

Because not every event is a freaking wedding and sometimes we need to lower the bar just a little.

Friends, take-out is okay.



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