Annie’s Plan
A True Story
Most girls want to manage things, just like Mother. They want to be able to make their own decisions and run their own house. And how exciting it would be to be queen of their own kitchen! At least, that is what ten-year-old Annie thought….
It all started the day Annie decided that she wanted to make suppers. Not just plain, ordinary ones like Mom always made. But the special kind with tableclothes and napkins. She asked Mom about it and it seemed like a good plan to her.
Big sister Karla thought it was a good idea, too. “That would be a good thing to do, to have a little discipline in your life,” she said.
The first night Annie decided she wanted to make cheese tortillas and chips with salsa. She set out a tablecloth that they hadn’t used for a long time. She put napkins underneath the plates, because she wanted to try out new ways of doing things. After she was satisfied that the table looked nice, Annie went to work making the food.
The cheese tortillas were pretty easy to make, because she had learned how to use the stove pretty well now. After they were done she wrapped them in a dishtowel and asked Mom to help her put them in the oven to keep warm. She poured the chips in a tin bowl and put the salsa in a little white dish. The Ranch dip was put in a second white dish.
Now supper was ready, but she had to wait until 6:00 to serve it. And it was only 5:15. So she took a much-needed shower and put on Karla’s bathrobe to make herself look “professional.” Everything was ready when 6 o’clock came.
“Time for supper, everybody!” Annie called.
Everybody said it was a big success. “We’ll just have to keep our new supper-maker,” Mom said with a smile. “You did a very fine job.” Annie felt quite pleased with herself.
The new supper job went fine most of the time. There was always something new Annie wanted to try out. Some days she even made three courses or wrote surprise notes to stick under each person’s plate. It was great fun to put on an apron and make all the decisions. It made Annie feel important and grown up.
But one day, when Annie had supper all planned out, something went wrong. The dishes were set on the table and she was just about to start making sandwiches when Mom came into the kitchen.
“Dear, I have a wonderful idea for supper,” Mom said. “Why don’t we have black beans and rice?”
Annie’s face fell. She had things all planned out for a special supper and here Mom came in, planning to change everything. Annie decided if Mom wasn’t going to make what she wanted, then she wouldn’t help. Mom could make supper by herself. I don’t know how to cook beans and rice, anyway, she told herself. So Annie went to the other room to watch Karla draw a picture.
Mom called after her, “What was your plan for supper, Annie?”
“Well, I guess we’re having beans and rice,” replied Annie, matter-of-factly.
After watching Karla sketch for awhile, Annie heard Mom call from the kitchen. “The beans are too hard for supper yet, so we can’t have them anyway. What were you thinking, Annie? Wasn’t it sandwiches? I guess we’ll have to have those tonight.”
Annie stood still. Mom hasn’t called me to come, she thought. And I don’t want to. So I’ll just let her do it by herself. She’s in charge of supper now, I guess.
Soon Mom called everyone in for supper. Annie came to the table. Supper isn’t as nice as when I do it. Mom can’t make it very well, she thought to herself. But she might be too busy to fix all the extra things, a little voice said to her.
“I didn’t know what you wanted in your sandwich, Annie,” Mom said, “so I only put lettuce.”
Annie stared at her plate. She felt too lazy to go get the tomatoes, cheese, and meat. So she ate her lettuce sandwich in silence. Mom could’ve made my sandwich nicer than just lettuce, she told herself. But you told Mom you didn’t like mayonnaise and pickles in your sandwich, so she didn’t know what you did like, a little thought argued back. It wasn’t her fault.
Supper ended and Annie went away to think. She wondered what she should do so that things would work out. She knew Mom wasn’t really trying to ruin her plans and that she had acted selfishly. What would be the right thing to do? Annie didn’t want to do everything by herself, and she didn’t want Mom taking over the whole supper job, either. But it was Mom’s kitchen after all. At last Annie thought of a wonderful thing.
The next afternoon she went to Mom before she made any plans. “What are your thoughts for supper, Mom?”
“Well,” said Mom, “the only plan I really had was using up some of the watermelon. I think that’s all.”
The watermelon worked easily into Annie’s supper schedule. Annie felt happy that she had not just done what she wanted, and Mom was glad that the watermelon was being used up. And everyone liked the supper immensely.
After that, supper-making went well.
Something to think about:
- Why do you think Annie’s plan worked out?
- Can you find a verse in the Bible about it? Check in Ephesians 6.
- Have you ever been frustrated at someone for messing up your plans?
- If you think about others before yourself, what do you think might happen?
This true story is written by Annie herself, though the names are changed. If you have a lesson you have learned, please share the story with us!