A Sneaky Chunk of Cheese

 (((( tee -- hee ))))

My status on Facebook yesterday read like this …

“Found a box of Velveeta in the back drawer of our fridge with an expiration date of August 2005.  Seriously … what have I been doing?”

This sneaky little piece of cheese keeps on coming to mind, as the comments role in.  I think that most of us can relate.  We discover expired things, at unexpected moments in time, tucked deep in the recesses of our cabinets and fridges, to then be almost archaeologically dug out and ... 

It’s funny, really.  At least it is to me, and some of my FB friends, as they wrote:

·         It’s probably still good!

·         That’s some old cheese!

·         That’s nothing. In our past 3 moves, I packed and moved expired can/box goods to 2 different homes.  Fortunately, I have thrown them away in prep for our next move. J

·         Aged cheese is supposed to be good, right?

·         Hee – hee! We ate tilapia last night (out of the freezer) that was dated July 2009!  What they didn’t know didn’t hurt ‘em!

·         Don’t be so hard on yourself – it’s not like you fed it to anyone … right? J

·         I’m not sure why, but hearing this from you relaxes my shoulders a bit. J

The thing is – believe it or not, I actually do clean out my fridge. I tend to be organized (yet, easily distracted), and although not a full blown germaphobe, I do keep an eye on molds accumulating and half-and-half creams congealing. I don’t like old yogurt, soft potatoes, dried out tortillas or bruised apples. 

But somehow this sneaky chunk of cheese got past me.  As I reflect back, I do recall noticing it in its undisturbed box at the back of my cheese drawer. I think I just kept on thinking, “Oh, I’m sure it’s fine. Someday, I’ll use it for a dip.”

But, I never did. I knew it was there, it appears that I just I avoided it.  After all, it looked okay from the outside. I guess.

Well, nearly 6 years later, with an expiration day of August 2005, this chunk of cheese has got me thinking, not just about the possibility of other things lurking in the dark corners of my fridge (I’ll work on that), but some of the things that I am sure are lurking in the out of the way places of – me.

 I know they’re there. I just choose to avoid them. It’s not that their bad, it’s just that they’re past their expiration date. I can’t use them anymore – don’t need them anymore.  I’m sure there are some chunks of “this” and chunks of “that” which I can --  well, chuck.

In addition, I am smiling at the fact that God does not stamp an expiration date on His grace.  It’s not hidden away for us to find, but right out in front where we can see it, taste it, feel it, rejoice in it. It never gets old. Never needs to be replaced.  

Funny how a sneaky chunk of cheese can get in my head and stir up some thoughts. 

Still laughing about it today.  We promptly threw the cheese away, but it did cross my mind – could there be a market out there for “Aged Velveeta?” And if so, should I have tried to sell it on e-bay?