I ate pralines n' cream...

ice cream yesterday, and it reminded me of my mother. On any occasion that Mom and Dad took us, the girls, to Baskin Robbins, she always ordered Pralines N' Cream ice cream. At that time of my life, I don't know why, but I didn't like ice cream. So while every other child believed it a huge treat to go to Baskin Robbins, I felt myself punished.

I was a moody child. Probably part and party to my current distrust of moods and emotionalism. Another blog post all together.

Anyway, my sister always ordered the blackest chocolate offering they had in their 31 flavors cornucopia. Something that sounded like Black Forest German Chocolate Fudge with Oreos. It totally grossed me out. My dad was adventurous with something like vanilla, or neapolitan if he was feeling reckless.

And I had to choose from the palette of sherberts. Those delightful neon colors of lime green, hunter blaze orange, Bonne Bell lip smackers cherry or raspberry and of course, the melding magical combo of Rainbow. The sherbert was both so cold and so sweetish sourish tart that it made my lips pucker and my eyes water. I do not eat sherbert at all today. Memories of petulant moodiness leave a bitter aftertaste.

But my mom, she was ole' faithful with the Pralines N' Cream. I asked her one time why she always ordered the same thing. She told me that she liked it, she knew she liked it, and if she was going to enjoy a treat she wanted to be sure and enjoy the treat. She depended on the known factors for the pleasure of a specialty.

Some years later, I don't know when exactly, I began to like ice cream. I experimented with a lot of different flavors. I vacillated between favorites. I licked some real loser flavors. And while I certainly have my favorite ice cream treat now, and do not even once vary from it when given the chance to eat it, yesterday I enjoyed Pralines N' Cream. And it reminded me of my mom and the stability she gave this moody child in an ice cream treat.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17