Goodbye, Dear Friend

You are a good friend. I so appreciate your 25 years of faithful service. You were a marvel with your self-cleaning feature. You saw me through sterilizing baby bottles, baking tons of cookies and brownies for bake sales, and goodies for the girlies and Himself. We cooked gallons of soup and gravy (i.e. pasta sauce). You were with me as I took on the mantel to host the holy days of obligation.  You were there for the successes and the sacrifices. The smoke went to heaven, the smoke detector sang arias, and I'm sure we elected a new pope or two. I will miss you.

I will not miss having to clean under the burner rings or the grease under the cook top. I will not miss the struggle to rid the ridge around the oven door free from gunk.