Sprinkles of Love

As Daddy’s 74th birthday neared, I knew he would not live to celebrate another year, so I wanted this birthday to be special. He had always loved his mother’s caramel icing, so I secretly called my aunt for the recipe. The perfect birthday surprise!

Cooking is not one of my talents, but how hard could it be? I gathered ingredients and followed directions: cook the brown sugar, corn syrup and milk to softball stage. So far, so good. I blended shortening with powdered sugar and a little milk. Finally, I poured the hot syrup over the shortening mixture and began beating. Instead of producing a creamy, spreadable consistency, my icing hardened like cement. In tears, I scraped the ruined confection into the trash. I was a failure. The surprise for Daddy was ruined.

Searching my pantry, I found a can of vanilla icing, which included a package of rainbow-colored sprinkles.

God can redeem our failures. I tried to create a special memory for Daddy that day, and guess what? Daddy loved it.
When his best friend called to wish him a happy birthday, I overheard him say, “Dave, I have the best birthday cake ever… the icing has sprinkles on top!”