The entire meal out was a cyclone of large family fun, yet one aspect in particular not only...blessed our table, yet many near it.

My 4th child, a daughter who was two at the time-who also bears a striking resemblance to Red Fraggle, had been exploring the items around the salt and pepper shakers. She quietly fingered through the sugar packets (snacking on one of them) and inspected a little bottle of soy sauce too, this being a Japanese Denny's restaurant. Lastly her spry fingers discovered the small cream containers. She started playing with them as if they were blocks.

I was relaxing and feeling grateful for the small stackable items until all of the sudden a distinct popping sound emitted from my daughter's direction followed by an amazingly high geyser of cream which exploded out like a party popper 12 feet in all directions from our table and primarily all over the back of a lone, elderly Japanese man sitting over by the wall. Evidently, our child had successfully bit the cream container open.

While the grave nature of this had both my husband's and my heart momentarily paralyzed in shock, my face began twitching in suppressed hysterics because it was just so ridiculous. I imagined an appalled Japanese gentleman who was not going to believe my regrets one bit.

Somehow though, in a blaze of apologies, my spouse and I suddenly sprang into action and, using all the napkins we could muster, we spot cleaned the walls, the people, and their tables and implored everyone in the surrounding booths for their forgiveness.

We were relieved to be met by many twinkling eyes, even those of the elderly Japanese man. It dawned on us that our happy presence, even with its eruptive nature, had enlivened up the whole restaurant atmosphere. Yes, wherever we go, the circus REALLY is in town, but I was suddenly glad of it and aware that there really is something called "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious serendipity."  And, momentarily reflecting on a world without it, I was so thankful for it!