Set in Their Ways

One of my favorite things about Picture Perfect is Hannah’s relationship with her dad. There was never a man more set in his ways! Check out the following scene:

One thing about the McDermott clan. . .we were predictable. Every day at 6:01 my father would pull his chair up to the table, where my mother would serve a meal he’d seen hundreds, if not thousands, of times before. Every meal had to incorporate potatoes or cabbage, of course, and either corned beef, roast beef or stewed beef. Sometimes chicken. No exotic side dishes. No unusual desserts. Just the same fare, day in and day out. One time, my mama—I shiver to remember—made the mistake of serving up homemade enchiladas. The result was not pretty.

And so, at 5:56, as I entered the house—the same house we’d lived in all of my life, with the same furniture, the same carpets, the same pictures hanging on the wall. I smelled the usual smells coming from the kitchen, heard the usual sound—my father turning off the news channel—and waited for the usual words, the same words I heard every day: “Shutter speed, you’re home! Thought you’d never get here.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I clamped eyes on my father. Except for a few wrinkles and his graying temples, dad looked pretty much the same as I remembered from my childhood. 

Yep, predictable. But Hannah’s dad undergoes a transformation as the story progresses. How so, you ask? Guess you’ll just have to read the book to find out!

One thing’s for sure–even the most predictable person is open to change when the Lord is involved!

For more on Hannah’s “usual” daily routine, check out Picture Perfect, now available in print and e-book!