The Brown Paper Bag

"The greatest danger in life is permitting the urgent things to crowd out the important things."
- Charles Hummel

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Each morning Jeffrey looked forward to handing his father his brown paper lunch bag as he headed off to work. One morning, Jeffrey’s father was surprised as Jeffrey handed him two brown paper bags. “Why do I get two bags, Jeffrey?” Jeffrey’s father asked. “The other one just has some things in it,” Jeffrey responded. Being in a hurry, Jeffrey’s father didn’t question Jeffrey any further. He kissed Jeffrey goodbye, and put both bags into his brief case.

After a hectic morning and preparing for a busy afternoon, Jeffrey’s father sat down to eat his lunch. He pulled out both brown paper bags from his brief case. He opened the first bag and found his traditional lunch: ham sandwich, chips, an apple, and a cookie. Curiously, he opened the second bag and emptied the contents on his desk; a tiny plastic army figurine, a mutilated baseball card, one marble, a broken blue crayon, a small rubber ball, two pennies and a couple of paper clips hooked together to form a chain.

Jeffery’s father was briefly amused, but was more concerned about finishing his lunch so he could rush off to his afternoon appointments. Being in a hurry, he ate what he could, and swept off desk, pushing his leftover lunch and Jeffrey’s junk into the wastebasket.

Exhausted from a busy day and the hour drive home from work, Jeffrey’s father intended to put his feet up and relax. Jeffrey approached his father and asked, “Where is my paper bag?” Stalling, Jeffrey’s father said, “What bag?” “Daddy, you know, the one I gave to you this morning with your lunch,” said Jeffrey. Sheepishly, Jeffrey’s father murmured, “I left it at the office.”

Jeffrey handed his father a note and said, “I wrote a note to you and forgot to put it in the paper bag this morning.” The note read, “I love these things and I play with them all the time. I thought that you might like to play with them too.” At the bottom in big blue letters, the note read, “I LOVE MY DADDY. HE IS THE BESTEST”

After reading the note, Jeffrey’s father jumped to his feet and said, “Oh no! I just remembered that I have an evening meeting tonight. I’ve got to go.” Jeffrey’s father grabbed his coat and rushed out the door.

While in the car on the way back to his office, tears welled up in Jeffrey’s father’s eyes. He felt a lump in his throat. How could he be so busy to not recognize that out of love, Jeffrey had given to him his treasures. And, not only did he fail to see the gift of love, he threw it in the wastebasket.

While Jeffrey’s father raced to the office, he also prayed that the janitorial staff would not make it to his office before he arrived. As uncommon as it was, he thought, how much he was looking forward to seeing a full wastebasket next to his desk; a wastebasket full of debris, junk, leftover food and more importantly, gifts of love.

Jeffrey’s father found the wastebasket full as he rushed into his office. He felt a sense of peace that he never felt before; for Jeffrey’s father learned a lesson about what was really important in his life. As he washed the debris off the baseball card, he made a pledge that night; from that night forward, he would focus on what was really important in his life: God and his family. No longer would his job or anything else crowd out the important things in his life. Jeffrey’s father got down on his knees next to his desk and thanked God for the lesson that he learned that day.

As he shut the lights out in his office and walked toward the elevator, he noticed the janitor walking toward him. The janitor smiled and asked, “Did you forget something.” Jeffrey’s father responded, “I most certainly did.” And, stepping onto the elevator, he clutched the brown paper bag close to his heart, and said, “I forgot what is really important in my life.”

When things get hectic as they do, I ask that you remember the lesson of the brown paper bag. Do you want to feel a sense of contentment and peace of mind when things get hectic? If so, identify what is truly important in your life and then live your life accordingly. When your actions are aligned with what is truly important to you, you will experience a feeling of contentment like never before.

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It’s your life: Live it, Love it & Celebrate it!
MJD