Today I remembered how much I loved Shepherd’s Pie at Camp Greystone. It arrived to our dining hall table as a pile of pure delight: mashed potatoes on the bottom, then ground beef, then cheese and onions–oh, we gobbled it up! It isn’t a pretty dish or even an artful one (it’s potatoes and meat!), but that mound of food became the stuff of camp legend.
I had so much fun remembering how hungry I was as an exhausted camp counselor and how steaming and fragrant those buttery potatoes were with that savory meat on top. If we were having Shepherd’s Pie, the campers went crazy with joy.
So when I’m standing in my kitchen today, I remember that leftover camp memory. I know exactly what to do with my leftover mashed potatoes and pot roast, so I get to work and layer up the potatoes and meat. I add some peas and some cheese to make a little delicious pie of it.
So we shall feast tonight!
I loved the whole concept of taking leftovers and making something entirely new that you once loved all those years ago. And who could have ever imagined, when I was eating that Shepherd’s Pie at 19 years old, that I would one day serve it to my children and husband around a table of my own over 20 years later?
I layer up what’s left of my memories of those summers, and I thank God for all He’s provided as the years rolled on.