The Burnt Toast

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 dinner after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned toasts in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all dad did was reach for his toast, 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 toast 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 toasts. And I’ll never forget what he said: “Honey, I love burned toasts.”

Later that night, I went to kiss Dad good night and I asked him if he really liked his toasts burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, “Your Mom put in a hard day at work today and she’s real tired. And besides, a little burned toast never hurt anyone!”

Moral of the story:

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 others faults – and choosing to celebrate each others differences – is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.