The best donut I ever had was from a Mom and Pop shop in Natchez, Mississippi. Don’t go there. They closed shortly after I moved out of that town. You can draw whatever correlation you wish with the timing of my departure and their closing. There were other donut shops in town, but as one of the custodians said, “The others are too doughy.”
It was a regular occurrence for me to pop into the recreation center of First Baptist Church with a dozen of the glazed delicacies. The two custodians for the church, Mike Stewart and David Jackson, and I would enjoy a coffee break with one or two donuts. One of the kids from the youth group was majoring in recreation at Ole Miss and chose to do his internship with us. He quickly became part of the Donut Brigade. Occasionally, one of the other staff members might pop in and have one if there were any left following our coffee break.
The Mom and Pop shop was also a regular visit for me on Saturdays. My three sons were up at the crack of dawn, so I’d get up and let their mother sleep late. I’d make a quick run to the donut shop and pick up a dozen. Of course, I’d give in to temptation and enjoy a warm donut on the way home. I would try to convince my sons that the Mom and Pop of the shop didn’t know how to count well. I don’t think I ever fooled the boys.
On one journey to the shop, I figured out a way to have a donut before getting home with the donuts for the boys. I’d buy the dozen, which came in a box and order two extra in a sack to enjoy on the trip home. The first and only time I tried it, I walked into the house and proudly asserted that all twelve donuts were in the box, which was proof-positive that I didn’t eat any on the way home. I was confident I got away with it until my oldest pointed out that I had some donut sugar on the corner of my lips.
After moving from Natchez to Springfield, Missouri, I returned to Natchez with my wife at the time to sign papers on the sale of the house. I told Lola I wanted to make one more donut stop before heading out of town. As I pulled into the parking area next to the donut trailer, the donut mom poked her head out of the window and screamed, “David Waddell! Where have you been?”
It was at that point; my wife realized I was making more than my Saturday visits to the shop.
While in Springfield, I started tutoring a third-grade young man in math, which may come as a surprise for those that know my lack of math skills, but I figured as a grown man with a Master’s degree I could handle third-grade math. The school’s location was one block away from a national donut chain. I would offer my assistance to the child and then reward myself with a donut to consume on the way back to church.
One time I returned, and my associate minister of recreation, Blake Hayworth, asked if I went to the donut shop following the tutor session. I wondered why he would ask such a question. He pointed to my mouth and commented that I had a little bit of the whipped cream filling above my upper lip.
To say donuts have caused me both joy and trouble would be an understatement. I read in an old Farmer’s Almanac this statement relating donuts to favorite Bible verse, “And he shall separate them as far as the yeast is from the waste.” (The actual verse is, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” Psalm 103:12 NLT). Another famous saying is, “A second on the lips is a lifetime on the hips!” – Unknown origin
My experiences with donuts bring to mind another Bible verse. Those would be the words of Numbers 32:23b come to mind, “you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” (NLT). Whether it’s a lifetime on the hips, unwiped sugar on the lips, or being screamed at from the window, I never seem able to hide the sneakiness of donut consumption.
A former pastor of mine, Sam Shaw, used to say, “If we cover our sin, God exposes it. If we expose our sin, God covers it.” Openness, accountability, and honesty with a trusted circle of friends are valuable in fighting the hiddenness of our sin. When our thoughts and deeds are out in the open, sin loses its power on us.
So, my confession today is I bought some donuts. I had to go to the office, so I shared some donuts. Then I got a cup of coffee and ate the remaining donuts. Don’t worry; I made sure none of the sugar remained on my lips.
Happy National Donut Day!