Cookie Crumbs

It was a rainy Sunday, as I entered the grocery store

Stepping into a puddle, just outside the door

I was tired and I was angry, as I hurried up the aisles

My shoes squeaking as I walked, leaving tracks upon the tiles

“How much more can go wrong”, I muttered to myself

As I struggled to reach a can, placed high up on a shelf

“Just great” I screamed inside my head, “who needs it anyway”

And then I turned to leave the store, and hurry on my way

Back to my dismal life, where I felt that I’d been placed 

Tossed away—forgotten, by God himself disgraced

And that’s when I saw her, a little girl, not more than two or three

Reaching for a bag of cookies, as high as branches on a tree

Determination on her face, as she stood on tipi toes

Fingertips just touching, the cookies that she chose

Now there were many cookies, well within her reach

But she had her sights set on, what must have been her favorite treat

And so she struggled even harder, and then she leaped into the air

As I shook my head and thought, “hey kid, life just isn’t fair”

But she was unaware of that, as she struggled proud and strong

Ignorant of the theory if it can it will go wrong

And so I stood there lost in thought, as I watched that child of two or three

Struggling to reach her heart’s desire, reminding me of me

And just as I often did myself, I expected her to give up and walk away

Settling for something less than what she wanted on that day

Instead she removed items from the bottom shelf, to make a place to stand

And then she climbed up higher, until she had the chosen cookies in her hand

But when she started to descend, the cookies came tumbling to the ground

And then she clumsily stepped upon them, as she made her way back down

Then she picked up those broken cookies, and ran up through the aisle

Proudly approaching her mother, with a pleased accomplished smile

Handing her the cookies, so very proud of what she’d done

But when her mother inspected the package she said, “honey they’re just crumbs”

“That’s okay” that little girl spoke, “I got them by myself”

“They were way above my head mommy, high up on the shelf”

Then that little girl spoke the words with a message clear and plain . . . 

“And it’s okay if they’re broken mommy, they’ll still taste just the same”

The mother touched her daughter’s cheek,

And then placed those broken cookies down inside her cart

As tears sprang into my eyes, and understanding filled my heart

It wasn’t how things actually were sometimes; it’s how we perceived those things to be

And the only obstacles in life, were the ones we chose to see

So it must have looked quite funny, a grown woman in a store

Climbing upon a shelf leaving items on the floor

And smiling like a child as I finally found

The can I’d reached for earlier, before making my way down

And just for good measure, I took some cookies from the shelf 

And squeezed the contents as I thought, “I think I’ll have some cookie crumbs myself”

And when the grocery clerk rang up my items, and spied the crumbled sweets

She offered to replace the bag, with unbroken cookie treats 

“No that won’t be necessary,” I spoke as I gathered up my things

And headed into the rain

With a smile upon my face, and the words lingering in my mind, 

  “I’m sure they’ll taste the same”

Now there are often times in life, when tiny things can seem so vast

Miniature mishaps that become tremendous, because I will not let them pass

So when I feel those little things are building in my mind

I inhale a cleansing breath, and then I leave them all behind

And then I smile in satisfaction, so proud of what I’ve done

Turning all life’s problems, into simple cookie crumbs