Proverbs 24:27

Every time we are preparing for a meeting, Erika always makes a big deal out of packing. It is like an Olympic event to her. She has all these silly checklists of things to pack. She constantly encourages me to do the same, however what is the big deal?

All we need to bring for…

Natalia and Ellia are things like:

• Several outfits – for both warm southern weather and cool Rochester
• Shoes
• Diapers – lots of them
• Books and toys for Natalia to play with
  

As for Erika:

• The usual clothes
• Hair products and makeup
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• At least a few pairs of shoes for each color in the rainbow
  

Then Michael:

• General guy stuff – piece of cake

Erika does all the packing. All she asks is that I get all my stuff out I need her to pack. Then she puts everything in the suitcase so that it is nice and neat. It really is a good system.

So there we were all the way in Miami, unpacking our neat, organized suitcases at 10:30 pm. Suddenly, with a quiet, concerned voice I asked, “Honey, did you pack my ties?”

Erika: “Well, of course. I mean, I packed everything you got out for me. I did not miss anything.”

Michael: (with even more concern) “Honey, that is the problem. I do not think I got them out for you to pack.”

10:30 at night...
…church in the morning…
and no ties.

…not good when you are a Baptist!

In utter disbelief, I began asking questions like, “Does Walgreen’s sell ties?" and "What about that Hess gas station down the road?” Erika just stood there fighting back the “I told you so” and also trying not to laugh at the thought of me wearing a tie I bought at Walgreen’s.

It was not a pretty situation. Let’s just say that humbly borrowing a tie from the male of your host home is not a fun feeling. I will put more thought into packing from now on. Next time, I will have a checklist.