• Home
  • About
    • Telling THE Story
  • Speaking
    • Take Away & Content
    • Reviews and News
    • Audio
    • Video
    • Fun Footage
  • Writing
    • Ginger’s Book
    • Blog
  • Contact

Ginger Ciminello

  • Home
  • About
    • Telling THE Story
  • Speaking
    • Take Away & Content
    • Reviews and News
    • Audio
    • Video
    • Fun Footage
  • Writing
    • Ginger’s Book
    • Blog
  • Contact

Trust the Chef

October 25, 2013 Posted by Ginger Ciminello Forget The Corsage

During my sophomore year in college, I spent a semester studying in England. When it came time to plan spring break, I had one destination on my mind: Italy. I made plans with my friend Katie for the perfect trip roaming around the Italian countryside. We met in Milan and traveled to Florence, Fiesole, and Venice. We spent hours riding trains, walking in museums, and trying to discern the menus at sidewalk cafes. It was an experience full of terrifying and transcendent moments for two twenty-year-olds trying to act like adults.

On our last evening in Venice, after spending an hour on a gondola ride with a driver who sang only a medley of Beatles classics, we decided to eat a meal to rival Italy itself. Katie’s grandfather had given us 100 Euro with specific instructions that it be spent on one fantastic Italian meal during our trip. We asked several locals for suggestions and ended up at Antica Trattoria PosteVecie, one of the oldest restaurants in Venice. It was to be our final meal before returning to the significantly less fabulous fare offered to us by the United Kingdom. (Sorry, but who puts cottage cheese on a hamburger?)

We made our way to the banquet table in the dimly lit establishment. Our waitress approached and we gave her our only request. Our instructions: “Bring us whatever the chef recommends. We have 100 Euro and we are spending it all tonight.” Five courses and two full stomachs later, we determined that Katie’s grandfather was the greatest person to have ever walked the earth. Italy had offered us extraordinary cuisine before, but this was an entirely new level of fine dining. In retrospect, I realize that our meal would have been amazing even if we had only had 50 Euro. What made our meal so fabulous were the expert selections of our Italian chef.

dish

It’s a simple concept, but one I often forget. I tend to assume that my decisions will make for the most memorable meal. But generally, without the thoughts of an expert, my Italian feast could end up like an appetizer from the Olive Garden. Although I’m fine with the Olive Garden, it just can’t compete with Trattoria PosteVecie.

The chef knows. He knows what pairs well together and what can make an ordinary dinner completely extravagant and delightful. I like to think I’m the expert when it comes to what I need in my life. If there’s one thing I want to get right, it’s my life! I have list after list of things to do before I die. I would probably order all the courses of my life from a menu if it were an option. It seems I want God to sign off on my dreams without ever even asking for His recommendations.

_______ (A selection from chapter 5, Forget the Corsage) _______

 

I’m the first to say, “Dream big dreams!” Don’t hear me wrong. I’m not suggesting that we stop dreaming. I just know that I often want to run ahead to make them happen without consulting the One with the power! Here’s encouragement for us all this weekend. When it comes to dreams, God loves to blow our expectations out of the water!

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9, NLT

Today is the last day to enter to win the set of Forget the Corsage ebooks. Follow this link and enter today! I will be announcing the winner on Monday. Have a fabulous weekend!

QUESTION: What’s a dream you have for the next decade of your life?

Following,
Ginger

Tags: DreamsForget the CorsageGIVEAWAYItalyNLTQuestionTrust
Share
0

About Ginger Ciminello

Ginger is a work-from-home mom of two girls, the wife of a good man, as well as a speaker and writer. Her book, Forget the Corsage, was written to mentor the young women she’s met in auditoriums around the country. She has a deep desire to connect with women of all ages and encourage them to laugh, learn from her many mistakes, and connect with the Lord through a rich study of Scripture.

You also might be interested in

This Week

Apr 11, 2011

We have some business to attend to! 1.  Last week[...]

Hopes and Dreams

Sep 30, 2013

  During my summers in college, I worked as a[...]

Growing Forward in 2014

Jan 1, 2014

Usually I am so jazzed to be making lots of[...]

Recent Posts

  • I’ve Got Nothing.
  • Freedom to Rest this Christmas
  • Shine, Poet!
  • All the Things 2015
  • My Anniversary Gift for Year Five: Marriage Counseling

Recent Comments

  • Ginger Ciminello on I’ve Got Nothing.
  • Ginger Ciminello on I’ve Got Nothing.
  • Victoria on I’ve Got Nothing.
  • Annie Parsons on I’ve Got Nothing.
  • Shanna on Shine, Poet!

Archives

  • May 2019
  • December 2017
  • November 2016
  • January 2016
  • October 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • July 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011

Categories

  • Advent
  • Forget The Corsage
  • Friday Finds
  • Hindsight
  • Identity
  • Lent
  • Life Lessons
  • Living His Story
  • Marriage
  • Missions
  • Purpose
  • Questions
  • Random
  • Recommendations
  • Relationships
  • Seasons
  • Speaking
  • Spiritual Growth
  • Thursday Tips
  • Uncategorized
  • Whatever Girls
  • With Joy Retreats
  • Writing

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Contact Us

We're currently offline. Send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.

Send Message
Prev Next