Real men

For girls and women who think real men don't exist, I present this story and pray they find someone like the one in the story:

When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned cookies in front of my dad.

I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his cookies, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don’t remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that cookie and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom apologize to my dad for burning the cookies. And I’ll never forget what he said: “Honey, I love burned cookies.”

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his cookies burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, “Your Momma put in a hard day at work today, and she’s real tired. Besides, a little burnt cookie never hurt anyone!”

Life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. I’m not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries, just like everyone else. But what I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept each other’s faults, and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences, is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that’s my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He’s the only One, who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt cookie isn’t a deal-breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!

Don’t put the key to your happiness in someone else’s pocket… Keep it in your own. So, please pass me a cookie, and yes, the burned one will do just fine. And PLEASE pass this along to someone who has enriched your life.