Tonight was the first basketball banquet of the season. I know we have at least one more coming up; (we had three children in basketball this year, but will miss the end of our youngest player’s season).

I took all the children to the potluck, grumbling because I’d misread the email and had thought it was starting a half hour later than it actually did. I was also grumpy about having to do a potluck. Potlucks make me feel in competition with others in an area where I am really insecure. If people don’t eat the food I brought, isn’t that just reinforcing my perception that I can’t really cook?

Anyway, I was grumpy and complaining all the way to the banquet, driving a route I’d never tried before, because the street I usually take was closed off.

We got there, and the children my 9 year old likes to play with were there. She was happy to see them, and she and her little sister sat at their table for the prayer.

Rather than encourage everyone to belly up to the buffet at the same time, the athletic director called families up in alphabetical order. The two little girls my daughters were sitting with were at the beginning of the alphabet; we’re in the middle.

The two girls got their food and went to sit at a different table. My daughters were left at the table with their friend’s parents; our table was full.

I was angry. I wanted to do everything from shake the little girls to fussing at them, to cussing at them, to sticking out my tongue. Instead I told my daughters that they could be polite, but they could not chase after those girls. They were not to reward rude behavior like that.

I heard their friend’s mother, a friend of mine, ask my girls where the other girls were, and I heard her say, “why’d they do that?” I was too angry to speak to her about it.

The two girls returned to their table during the awards ceremony. They asked my 9 year old to join them. I wouldn’t let her. I played pencil games with her and her 5 year old brother. I saw my friend talk to her daughter, and the little girl came over to apologize. My oldest daughter had the 9 year old in her lap, and heard the apology. My 9 year old didn’t hear it at first. She stayed at our table. I told her she must forgive the girl if she’d apologized. After a while, she forgave the two girls and they all ran off to play together.

I kind of felt left holding the bag with all those negative emotions. But I knew that God is clear about forgiveness.

I had to practice that myself a couple of times tonight, and I was grateful I had. When have you had to swallow your emotions and forgive?