How Ya Like Them Sandwiches?

*this pic was taken at nearly 4am the day after Christmas after the man had traveled by train, plane, and finally automobile to get home to the States

Sandwiches and I do not get along. I'm thinking it's the bread. Or maybe it's the yeast in the bread? What I know for certain is that within minutes of downing a sandwich, my stomach is bloated and in mucho pain for the next few hours. Ugh. So yep, me and sandwiches are no match made in Heaven.

When I used to work for 'UnNamed Banking Institution', we were taught about the other kind of sandwich that I dislike. The "good news/bad news sandwich" which is just a fancy way of delivering crappy news to your associates. The theory is that by sandwiching negative information between 2 positives, the harsh blow of reality will be lessened, therefore, assisting the associate in receiving the news and keeping them open to additional feedback. I have to tell you, I was a master sandwich artist, my friends. Give me any news, any feedback, and I could find a way to make it seem like a positive and have all parties still speaking to one another at the end of the meeting.

Only problem is, I can smell a GNBN sandwich from a mile away. It usually starts with a long and drawn-out, "Weeellllllll, the reason I'm calling is" or "Weeellllll, the reason I asked to meet with you today is", you get the picture.

My stomach starts to churn, I get that pit of dread that drops to the bottom of my gut and I inwardly brace myself for the news. Usually, I'm so busy trying to skip ahead to what the bad news is that I don't even hear the opening good news bookend of the conversation. Yeah, pretty much the first 2 mins. just sound like Charlie Brown's teacher, all "wonk-wonk-wonkwonk-wonk". Get to the point already!!

But as silly as my managing training seemed at the time, I was happy to have those skills under my belt during the last 2 weeks, otherwise known as the Christmas Debacle of 2010. It seemed like I had permanent kitchen duty as I had to deliver one GNBN sandwich after another to the kids.

"Wow, isn't it great that you're out of school for Winter Break! We can use that time to make lots of Christmas cookies for Daddy since his flight was just delayed by 3 more days. No don't cry! It will be really great, and we can drive around and look at Christmas lights every night, because you remember how much Daddy hates to ride in the car. No seriously, please stop crying, so that you can hear about all the fun we are going to have making Daddy's WELCOME HOME sign, although, we won't actually hang it up until Saturday now, because he still can't get a flight out of Germany. Alright, it's okay if you cry for a little while."

You get the picture. Try as I did to keep things positive, come Christmas day with still no Daddy to be seen, I was running out of the good news parts of the sandwich. It seemed as though every time the caller ID showed my husband's number or every time I saw the airline's name in my inbox, I got a little queasy. It was never good news and I braced myself for the negativity of the situation. Delayed flights, missed connecting flights, cancelled flights, lost baggage despite there never actually being a flight. Would it ever end?

Eventually it did, although it meant hours sitting in airports, an unexpected hotel room in DC on Christmas night, and my husband finally renting a car with strangers so that he could make the drive from home from Philly before the snow came. And for that, I am so very thankful. After the fact though, I am also a little ashamed of how I reacted during the whole ordeal. I feared, I panicked, I cried, I doubted. Not exactly how the Psalmist describes the Believer in Psalm 112:7.

"He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD."

*Gulp*, perhaps not exactly how I would have described myself. Sure, I felt peace, sure, I was vocalizing the 'old standby', "all things work together for good...." but in my heart I was quaking and nowhere near steadfast. When you examine the word steadfast in old Mr. Webster, you'll find that it means fixed in intensity, unwavering. It doesn't mean to be scrambling around in a panic, or to cry ones eyeballs out locked in a hotel bathroom. Well woops, I think I just must have been reading another version of this verse all along then. One day, I pray I'll be able to face my bad news in the way described in Psalms. Take it head-on, carb-free, and without fear because I'm trusting in the LORD.