The Sandwich, and What I Learned from It...

This is not "THE Sandwich" but this is what it looked like.

I learned something new about myself around lunch time yesterday: I don't cry over spilt milk, but I do cry over spit on sandwiches.  Here's what happened...

I was making my kids lunch yesterday.  I decided to make them special pb&j sandwiches with the fancy Pampered Chef sandwich maker.  It turns ordinary sandwiches into round ones with no crust and sealed edges.  I was excited to see my son's reaction when he saw his cool sandwich.  I handed him the plate and bent down to his level to explain how I'd made him a really neat sandwich for lunch.  He responded by blowing on it; sort of like someone would blow out a candle on a cake.  It wasn't at all what I thought he'd do, and it actually hurt my feelings.  First I was mad and sent him to time-out while I cooled off.  Then, as the realization of what had happened set in...I cried! Earlier in the day, I'd been feeling in need of a bit of thanks for all my hard work that I do every day.  Some days I guess we just need a pat on the back and a "good job, Mom" from our families.  When my son more or less rejected my efforts to do something nice for him, it was like a slap in the face rather than the thanks I was hoping for.  After I dried my tears, I thought about my mom and all the wonderful meals she'd made for me over the years.  I decided to thank her.  Tomorrow she's coming to visit me, and I will thank her for all the fabulous food she's prepared for me over the years, and I'll tell her, "Good job, Mom!"

For the record, my son did apologize for spitting (his words) on his sandwich and he ate every bite of his fancy pb&j.  He truly is a sweet boy and hugged me when he saw my tears.

To all my mom friends, "Good job!"  You do a lot for your family that goes unnoticed, but your Heavenly Father notices and He's proud of you.

Have You Read This Book Yet?

One day I was browsing for books to read.  I came across this title: Heaven is for Real and requested it from our local library.  Apparently, it's a popular book because I had to wait a couple of months for it.  Once I got it, I read it all in 24 hours.  It's an awesome book and I urge you to get a copy.  You will be so blessed by it.

Here's a brief summary: A little boy named Colton, very close in age to my son, had to have an emergency surgery when his appendix ruptured.  During surgery, he visited heaven.  Over the course of a couple years, he shared bits and pieces of what he saw with his family.  Awesome stuff!  

The way Colton described things, and the process of the story unfolding at random times, is similar to how my almost four year old son will tell me things. (Which leads me to believe that his story is authentic.)  Our son, Kieran, went through a major event in December 2010: Mommy & Daddy went to China for three weeks without him.  When we got home, he didn't talk about his time away from us at all.  It sort of perplexed me.  Then a couple of weeks ago, six months after our China trip, my husband went out of town for twelve days.  That experience brought all sorts of memories to the surface for my son.  While Daddy was gone, Kieran began telling me about his time with his grandparents while we were in China.  Never a long explanation, just a tidbit about where they ate, or how he felt while we were away.  That is similar to how the story unfolds of Colton's trip to Heaven.  

Without spoiling the story, I have to say that one of my favorite parts was when Colton's dad asks Colton what he did while in heaven.  His answer was simple: "Homework".  Apparently, he went to school there.  Jesus was his teacher, and he liked school the best of all his experiences.  I know I'd love school too if Jesus were teaching the class!