Can You Find The Crumbs of Gratitude In Your Life?

“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.”  Phyllis Diller

Crumbs can be annoying.

Crumbs can be everywhere

They take over every nook and cranny 

They scatter like they don’t have a care.

You sweep them up continually, what feels like day in, and day out.

You whine and moan at these silly crumbs because they just won’t go away.

Crumbs are Everywhere in our life

“I sweep them all the time!” You declare and stomp your foot. 

Then you pause and think, “Wait, I need to take a step back and take a look.”.

Those crumbs are there all the time because there are people who came to spend quality time.

They laugh, they sing, they eat, and come to see their mom and dad and other family. 

So today, I love sweeping up crumbs because it really means, my boys, my gals, they have come to see their dad and I. 

Over the weekend I decided to make a bunch of bread. I made 6 loaves to be exact. The house was filled with the smells of goodness. I couldn’t always whip up a batch quickly, I killed yeast, baked the bread too long, sometimes it was too yeast like in taste and then one day, I could do it! As I brought the loaves from the oven, my boys descended like locusts. In one day my “boys,” err… 3 very large Army men ate 4 loaves. I gave one to our pastor and left one for the week. As I pulled out the last little end of a loaf this evening I couldn’t help but smile. The bread was almost gone, just a little bit of crumbs. But in those crumbs were not sadness, but satisfaction that there were loved ones around to eat it. In making that choice, I introduced a dose of gratitude into my brain. The little story I tell below is a fond memory. The cutting board you see pictured above? My son made it for me years ago. All tokens of gratitude. 

Why are Crumbs a Gift?

All of our college age kids are home at the moment.  There are 3 Army boys and 1 Navy girl.  There is a lot of eating that goes on ALL.THE.TIME. It is almost as if they stumble through in a haze of hunger, almost like in a daze. The pantry flies open, my husband and I hear it every single time… The bags are opened, the tuna fish is eaten with great abandon. I can feel the pantry groan for its very life. Then, in another haze of feral-like hunger, the fridge is opened.  The cheese is consumed like there is no tomorrow, the milk is gone within hours and food is literally everywhere.  I did have to wonder… How in the world did food get on the ceiling? How? Seriously!  If you have an answer for that little riddle, I would certainly like to know your thoughts. Back to crumbs. They may be annoying but they are a great source of gratitude. It is so good to have folks to make food for, to fellowship with, and to love. The Bible has plenty to say about gratitude. 

When the crumbs abound, blessings can be there too. 

I feel like I am constantly doing the dishes, sweeping the floor, going to the grocery, cooking for them, doing laundry, all things housework.  I even lamented to my husband that I had just wiped down all the counters, swept the floor, finished the dishes, etc…  Just as I finished, an Army boy swept through and made a snack.  Crumbs everywhere!  At the time I was annoyed, but in an attempt to look at things in a more positive way, I changed my concept of crumbs.  Crumbs mean our kids love us enough to come home and see us instead of going somewhere else.  Crumbs mean we have sat around the table, laughed, talked about life, the universe, and everything.  Crumbs mean we are blessed to have each other.  I choose to smile and thank God for the gift of crumbs. 

I pray that you can find the crumbs and bread loaves of gratitude in your life.