Welcome to the
Marriage Builders® Discussion Forum

This is a community where people come in search of marriage related support, answers, or encouragement. Also, information about the Marriage Builders principles can be found in the books available for sale in the Marriage Builders® Bookstore.
If you would like to join our guidance forum, please read the Announcement Forum for instructions, rules, & guidelines.
The members of this community are peers and not professionals. Professional coaching is available by clicking on the link titled Coaching Center at the top of this page.
We trust that you will find the Marriage Builders® Discussion Forum to be a helpful resource for you. We look forward to your participation.
Once you have reviewed all the FAQ, tech support and announcement information, if you still have problems that are not addressed, please e-mail the administrators at mbrestored@gmail.com
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 659
C
cajunky Offline OP
Member
OP Offline
Member
C
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 659
This is something a friend of mine sent me. They are trying to restore their marriage too. Hope you like it as much as I did.

Peanut Butter
==============

There's a light at the end of every tunnel.
There's a silver lining in every cloud.
There are many blessings that come disguised and?

There's a big buffet waiting at the end of every peanut butter
sandwich!

I have three school-age children. One of the many topics of
conversation around my house is whether the kids will eat a
school lunch on any given day, or if they will take their lunch.

They usually decide to take their lunch because they (and I)
have more control over what they eat. However, there are times
when the pizza or the tacos or simply, convenience, beckon, and
the choice is unanimously lunch from the cafeteria.

My kids' elementary school has a very strict policy regarding
the purchase of school lunch. You may send as much money as you
want for your child's lunch account, but if the account balance
drops below $5.00, the child will be issued a peanut butter
sandwich for lunch. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less,
nothing else.

Only a peanut butter sandwich.

So, from time to time I send checks to replenish each of my
kids' lunch accounts so that they can always opt to eat from the
cafeteria.

Since I'm so good about sending money to school, imagine my
surprise when I walked into the school's cafeteria one day to
witness my first-grader crying over a peanut butter sandwich.

There it was. A spread of dry, sticky peanut butter accompanied
only by the two slices of white bread that surrounded it.
It even had its own specially colored tray.
It wasn't exactly an appetizing entrée.

When I first saw my daughter crying, I wasn't sure what the
problem was. Her head was bowed, tears were streaming down her
face and her best friend was consoling her in a very sweet,
heartwarming first-grade fashion.

Since I didn't realize what was going on, I approached her very
cautiously, not wanting to further upset her if I overreacted to
this still unfamiliar situation.

But as I got closer and as the bright pink reserved-for ?
peanut-butter-sandwiches-only tray glared at me, I realized that
her lunch account had dipped below that magic $5.00 mark.

What shame I felt.

Parenting is a difficult job as it is without introducing such
an unnecessary emotion into the equation. Of course I
immediately went over to hug her and let her know that
everything in her corner of the world was still OK, even if she
was staring face-to-face at a peanut butter sandwich.

By the way, she hates peanut butter.

But?there's more!!

My first grader has the earliest lunchtime of all my kids.
She goes at 11:30. My kids had a dental appointment that day,
and the reason I was at the school was to check them out.
I had planned to get there before 11:30, but I was running a few
minutes late.

Why were you running late, you ask?

I was running late because I was making a lunch for each of my
kids so they could eat on the way to their appointment.

I take great pride in the lunches that I prepare. The kids
always have a choice of a deli-fresh turkey or tuna sandwich.
I then add some fruit, such as grapes or strawberries or apple
slices. They also have either applesauce or yogurt, and a
Nutri-grain bar. In addition, they have some sort of light
dessert and a juice box.

These may not necessarily be the foods that appeal to adults,
but my kids love these lunch items.

So, there I was consoling my daughter and letting her know that
she could now stop crying because a feast was awaiting her right
outside the door.

All she had to do was make a few steps, reach out her arms and
partake in all the delights that would soon be spread before
her.

So when the world hands you a peanut butter sandwich, and you
were expecting a full buffet, don't cry. Just gather the
courage to take that next step, and you will find your feast
right outside the door.

If your current situation is a peanut sandwich, know that if you
continue doing the right things (and you know what's right), you
won't be looking at that peanut butter sandwich much longer.

Just hold your head up and open your arms so that you can grab
what you've been expecting.

I don't want to over-simplify this, because gathering up courage
is not simple.

It is much easier to cry about your problems than to attack your
problems.

It is much easier to be so overwhelmed that all you can do is
sit back paralyzed with fear as you watch the world pass you by.

It is always easier to throw a pity party and watch everyone
else seemingly enjoy themselves.

But remember, after every party, somebody has to get up and
clean up.

Even if you don't like peanut butter, make the most of it.
Eat it with a smile.

Receive it gracefully, knowing that the white bread with the
slab of peanut butter will soon yield to a full buffet with your
choice of entrées and the peanut butter sandwich will be a
distant memory.

That's just how much God cares for you.

All my daughter had to do was make the first step.

Unless I personally prepare one, or unless she decides that she
likes peanut butter after all, my child will never be presented
with another peanut sandwich again.

That's the same thing God says about you.

I sent a really big lunch check to school the next day.

Joined: May 2002
Posts: 131
H
Member
Offline
Member
H
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 131
loved it!!!!

Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,260
J
Member
Offline
Member
J
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,260
Thank you.

E


Moderated by  Fordude 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Search
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 1,116 guests, and 67 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Mike69, petercgeelan, Zorya, Reyna98, Nofoguy
71,829 Registered Users
Building Marriages That Last A Lifetime
Copyright © 1995-2019, Marriage Builders®. All Rights Reserved.
Site Navigation
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5