Enjoy the Ice Cream
Kaitlin Whipple is a tough competitor. So, when her friends challenged her to a race, she accepted. Of course, this race only consisted of “who could eat their Wendy’s Frosty quickest.” But for Kaitlin it was serious business and she would not be bested by anyone.
And so, instead of enjoying each savory spoonful of smooth Wendy’s ice cream, Kaitlin rapidly woofed down the dessert. And she was victorious. She accepted the challenge. She raced with all her might, risking “ice cream headaches,” and grasped victory with both hands.
But the glory was short lived. Her boyfriend, Reed Harris, came over to her and whispered some troubling news in her ear. In her quest for the thrill of victory, she missed something. What was it, the sweet creamy pleasure of her Frosty? Yes, but there was something more significant. Reed explained to her that – in her haste – she had swallowed her engagement ring. That’s right. Reed had planned to propose to her that night at Wendy’s. Instead of the traditional romantic practice of placing her ring in a wine or champagne glass, Reed Harris – being a practicing Latter Day Saint – put her ring in a Wendy’s Frosty. And everything was going fine – until her friends, eager for her to find the ring, challenged her to a race. The result? She swallowed the ring without notice.
The story has a happy ending. Reed rushed Kaitlin to the emergency room where an X-Ray revealed the amazing truth – a diamond ring was in her stomach. So later that night at his home, on his knees, and with X-Ray in hand, Reed popped the question and Kaitlin said “Yes.” And now that the ring “has passed” and is safely on Kaitlin’s finger, the happy couple plan for a May or June Wedding. 
You know, we all feel like we’re in a race these days. Everybody is incredibly busy, and it takes a conscious effort to “slow down and enjoy the ice cream.” But I fear we must make that effort lest, in our dash to win the ice cream-eating race, we will have enjoyed nothing and only have cheap victories to our credit. Even worse, we’ll come to the realization that we missed some very important things in life, precious moments with family and friends and lost opportunities to help others and make the world a better place.
May God help us to get focused on life’s greater rewards and not get caught up in the dash to get nowhere! The Scripture says, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits” (Psalm 103:2).
PRAYER: Dear Father in Heaven, please help me manage and successfully complete my many tasks. But even more, please open my eyes to the blessings You’ve poured into my life, lest I race past them in my hurry to win meaningless races. Amen.
