Unexpected Gratitude

Never forget how much saying a simple "thank you" can mean to someone. Especially when it's unexpected.

Take, for example, events at my house last night.

Let me start with some background. My 8 year old son, Logan, is one of the pickiest eaters of all times ever. He lives on a steady diet of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples/apple sauce, and ramen noodles. Occasionally, he'll have some scrambled eggs, but only if you make them all in one piece and call it an "omelet" even though it's not folded over and has no filling.

He doesn't like cheese (seriously - who doesn't eat cheese?) or french fries (or potatoes in any form). And last summer when he began eating a hot dog and a bun, at the same time, we considered it a major step forward in meeting his nutritional needs.

Because of his many food aversions, I often find myself playing the role of short order cook at dinner time. I cook something for the rest of us to eat, and then I fix Logan his food. And yes, I've tried giving him no other options but what we're having. I found out it hurts me to watch him starve much more than it bothers him to not eat dinner for days at a time.

Which brings us to last night. Stressed and tired, I decided that everyone could eat what I made for dinner or else.

Of course, Logan barely choked down one bite.

But then when we excused him from the table, he looked at me and said, "I'm sorry I didn't care for dinner. Thank you for making it. You did a good job."

So what's Logan having for dinner tonight? Ramen noodles or peanut butter and jelly.

His choice.

Who will you thank today? I'm sure it will be worth your while.