Gloria Jean b.k.a. Glo is my cousin who was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Fresh out the south...Glo came up under her mother and my grandmother on the burners and she is the TRUTH in the kitchen. She's an amazing cook but her specialty is baked beans. Glo is the Queen of the baked beans! NOBODY....and I'm serious when I say NOBODY is touching Glo when it comes to making baked beans! These baked beans are so incredible that they are requested in off seasons like Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's that real!
About ten years ago on a hot summer day, I called my grandfathers house looking for Glo who had been living in Cleveland for about 10 years after she became the full time caregiver of my grandparents. When she picked up the phone I got straight to the point:
Me: Glo, we're having a bbq tomorrow and I'm hoping you are willing to share your world famous baked beans recipe with me?
Glo: If you got a piece of paper, I got the recipe...
She gave me the recipe and I baked them beans up and they were great! BUT they still weren't the incredible batch that Glo makes. I came home later that summer and went by my grandfather's house and Glo happened to be making some baked beans. In the midst of cooking she open the oven and added something to them that I couldn't see and then closed the oven for the beans to bake a little while longer. She saw me looking and said "it's all in the timing." Then I notice she had the timer set for that moment to add whatever she added. At that very moment I understood that the greatness of her baked beans was in that small window of timing. She knew this moment was monumental to the success of making an incredible batch of beans! I truly realized how important this moment was a few years later when she missed that key moment to add her special ingredient as she rushed to the stove and was pissed when she turned to me and said "well this batch is no good" as she threw them away.
She's so alert when she's making those baked beans...waiting for that small window in time to add her love to the equation...and the great part is her love is unique...It's her special filling at the right time and place...and nobody knows what it is...it's between her and those baked beans...but I do know it's what makes them incredible...and It's all in the timing...
We all have a filling that we bring to relationships. A special ingredient that only you possess that can make or break the recipe. As of late I've heard a few stories directly and indirectly from women about dealing with the man they love and his lack of opening up and sharing his feelings. The thing about men is that our hearts aren't given away easily. We're guarded and when we feel that you understand us and we trust you...THEN there's a small window that we open and if you miss it there's a chance you might miss out. When a man decides to share his feelings with you...in this vulnerable and rare moment...you have a quick decision to make....what are you going to fill him up with when he's in his feelings? A listening ear, true understanding, security...or laughter, judgement, and ridicule. The decision is yours but it will impact if he opens up to you again. Men don't talk to each other often about vulnerable situations...but from what I've heard over the years...when it comes down to men opening up...it fell on deaf ears so they cut that out altogether with certain women.
Just like Glo's baked beans...that special filling at the right time is everything to a man and it makes him better for his woman. You'll know the right time if you take time to know your man and we know if you truly know us.
It's all in your special filling and timing...