Not the best choice for a party

The preacher made my husband cry today. It didn't happen at church because you wouldn't find my husband there unless it was a serious holiday. Even then he only goes to humor the princesses.

My preacher is virtually famous. They turned his blog into a book. How cool is that! We received a postcard in the mail saying not only was his book coming out, he would be autographing copies at a local bookstore and would read a passage from the book, RealLivePreacher.com

Littlest princess came running into the house a couple weeks ago shouting "Gordon came in the mail!" (Yes, our preacher let's everyone call him by his first name.) I wasn't sure we would buy the book. After all, I thought, we had lived most of the stories and I'd read them on the blog. But when a friend reaches a milestone you want to share it them. So we skipped the opportunity to nap on Sunday afternoon and went down to the book store.

Wow, tamales and beer! Wait, beer? Can I drink beer in front of my "church friends"? On a Sunday no less? After a certain number of people opened beers (thanks, Lyle), so did I. It was good. People milled about, chatting comfortably with each other. I only saw a smattering of people I didn't know. Must be the online crew. My princesses were happy at another chance to hang with the 3 sisters that day. I sipped beer beside my husband (he sipped lemonade). Then preacher began.

He thanked everyone and it was good.

He talked a little bit about the book and it was good.

He asked if we minded if he read a sad essay from the book. Party's over....

It was the story of a couple that ninety percent of us in the room knew, not well, but we knew who they were. They had come to church and worshipped for a while. I had seen them in church, in pain and never asked. I'm sure God cursed me for pretending at the time that it was for the best that I not ask, that it was none of my business. Their baby came into the world too soon and lived but a few short hours. That this was the second time this had happened to this couple was more than I could bear. We escaped as quickly as we could after Gordon finished. My husband and I sat in the minivan and blew our noses.

Then I turned to my husband. I've seen him cry maybe four times in 17 years. Once when we both thought our marriage was broken, when Babe Ruth dies during the Babe Ruth movie, when his Dad had 5 bypass heart surgery and when our littlest princess was born. We escaped the room as quickly as we could. My husband and I sat in the minivan and blew our noses.

Preacher, today you made my husband cry and ruined a perfectly good beer. Thanks