Peanut Butter Sandwiches

lunch time at the Scott's is much more than a chance at one of Lisa's delicious noonday meals. Oh no, it is surprisingly more. Lisa prepared lunch for her tiny happy family of three ever since she began working from her home. The joyful group included Gerald her husband, and four-year-old Noah.

Lunch took on an entirely new significance for Noah. At the age of four, he had already developed a shrewd and discriminating taste for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. His mother unhesitatingly describes him as the great arbiter of the PB&J sandwich.

The fresh smooth creaminess of the peanut butter coupled together with just the right amount of the fruitiness of the jelly is unparalleled. Creamy is Noah's favorite. Why once, he wolfed down three before taking his afternoon nap. This still stands as his personal best to date.

Noah has eaten one of his mother's tasty PB&J sandwiches at the same time of day since he took his first steps. For four years with an unabated resolve she always supplied them. It was a daily ritual. But for Noah, it was more than that. It was an expectation. As a matter of fact, it seemed to be the one thing that calms little Noah after a hard day of playing. But then came the fateful day that would change it all.

Once again, as usual, lunchtime had come. His mother went through her typical routine. This is when she made a worrying discovery. She had the bread set for Noah's daily PB&J, but when she reached for the jelly it was nowhere to be found. Frantically his mother searched for it. The time had come for lunch and there would be no peanut butter and jelly sandwiches today.

And there was no way to go to the market and purchase more, because her husband had taken the car. This reminded Noah's mom of the time his dear grandmother forgot to prepare his sandwiches. To this day, that became known as Grandma's Disaster. And this time just may be worst.

Noah eagerly climbed into his chair looking around he expected to see his plate with the sandwiches he so desperately enjoyed. His little hungry mouth began salivating like a shark closing in for the kill. The way they show in those nature programs. He took a bite. His eyes widened.

This wasn't jelly. But it had a lite sweet taste. It was something new. Although there wasn’t the fruity explosion of jelly this time, there was a satisfying sweetness Noah enjoyed with each bite. With his mouth full he asked, "What is this?". Noah had no idea that his mother replaced the missing usual jelly with honey. It wasn't as sweet, but it was effective! Noah now had a new craving to an old favorite.

Each o of us has a little bit of "Noah" in us. We can become accustomed to things performing or working one way. And when something happens that causes them to work differently, we feel the anxiety that comes with an immediate change in our routine. We can feel lost and may even feel our lives have come to a complete halt. Sometimes, even the best of intentions doesn’t always work out. The fact is life sometimes will forget the "jelly". This is when we must accept those moments, sit up straight and be ready to take a big bite. Even though there are things we cannot change, in these pressing moments try to find the honey and move forward. Beginning something different can be scary and unpredictable.

But it can also become exciting and eye-opening, and just as sweet. There are no guarantees you'll like it or promises you'll want seconds. But sometimes just a little bit honey can make all the difference in the world.