Peanut Butter on my Shoulder

I was getting ready for Bible study this morning, flittering around the house and trying to get everything organized as Aimee and James finished their breakfast. I gathered my son's small shoes and bent down to slip them on his feet. As he pressed his little face into my arm for balance, I remembered what my study today had taught me...and I took just the smallest second to be thankful for my son.

As I stood to repeat the task for Aimee, I noticed that James' huge smile was covered in the peanut butter from his toast.

The peanut butter that was....yep, now on my shoulder.

Any other morning it would have been enough to send my world spinning. I didn't want to change my clothes, I was ready to go! Any other day, my mood would have shifted. I would have gotten impatient in my frustration, and I would have watched as my beautiful boy's smile melted into tears. Any other morning I would have wondered why everything always has to happen to me.

Not this morning. With the lesson on being thankful for the little things so fresh in my mind, I stayed calm. I didn't panic; I didn't get angry. In fact, I found out that warm little-boy peanut butter washes right off happy-mommy shirts.

As I ran a warm washcloth over James' sweet face, I thanked God for my little boy.

Thank You that he is here. Thank You that he is healthy. Thank You that he has been given a life free from the complications of autism. Thank You that his smile makes me forget all the little frustrations in my life.

Sometimes we get peanut butter on our shoulders.

Sometimes it wipes off without a fuss and we go on about our day.

Sometimes we're left with a little smudge that only we can see.

Sometimes we have to change our clothes completely, replacing them with an outfit that doesn't match the image we always dreamed we'd have. But, in time, our perspective changes. It isn't about who we were before the peanut butter anymore; it's about how thankful we are to be able to move forward with our new dreams. I think of Joseph, I think of some of my friend's children...CiCi, Luke, Kieran, Jessi, and Jared. Families who have days where they are swimming in peanut butter.

We all have these moments. It's how we handle them that herald our successes or disappointments. I hope I remember the feelings that bubbled inside me as I calmly walked Aimee and James to the car. I hope I remember to be thankful for all things.

Because happiness, contentment, and gratitude are so worth throwing away the quest for perfection.