Myra Philpott and the Plate

On the way home from church, Myra Philpott kept seeing over and over again those words that had jumped out at her from the church bulletin. "That's exactly right!" she murmured under her breath. "That's the way it should be." "What should be, dear?" Mr. Philpott's eyes darted in her direction. "'It's the simple things in life'", Myra recited. "'It's the simple things in life.'" "Definitely." Mr. Philpott went back to driving. Definitely. Sigh. 

Their life was anything but simple! Why, just getting to church every Sunday was a minor miracle. If anything was going to change, Myra decided, definitely it was going to be up to her. She would make a plate. And the decorative serving plate she had seen at Target would be perfect. "I'll pick it up when I go out for groceries Wednesday." While she was preparing supper, she added potatoes and the plate to her grocery list. Mr. Philpott said the supper was sensational, but Mark took macaroni and cheese as usual. 

Myra's visit to Target on Wednesday was rushed. Not only was this errand crunching her appointment to pick up Mark and Peter from school, but she had cold and frozen foods in her car. As soon as she got the cold and frozen foods put away at home, she left the plate on the master bed and rushed to pick up Mark and Peter. There was homework, of course, and dinner. T.J. had Scouts and Brittany had Young Women on Wednesdays. Mr. Philpott helped with the Scouts. 

Myra sent Mark and Peter to bed, then hand painted the plate before the rest of the family returned home, "It's the simple things in life." While undressing for bed later, Mr. Philpott remarked that Myra's calligraphic efficiency was amazing. 

It was over a week later when Myra again noticed the plate where she had placed it to dry. "It's the simple things in life." For some reason those words jumped out at her just as they had from the church bulletin. If they hadn't, she probably would have put the plate high on a shelf in the hall closet. Today was Friday. T.J. and Mr. Philpott were supposed to leave on a Scout outing at 3:45. That would leave her with Brittany, Mark, Peter, and the yard work until dinner time on Saturday. But for now, the foil dinners and turnovers she was making to send on the outing needed to be finished in time to pack. 

That evening Myra brought the plate out and held it in her lap as she and the kids watched Jimmy Stewart and Lionel Barrymore in "You Can't Take it With You". By the end of the movie she knew exactly what she would do. The plate would be perfect opposite a floral arrangement under the family room window. Maybe there would be time tomorrow to find a decorative stand for the plate. Myra found time.