I sweep up crumbs all of the time. After carving cakes into the shapes of purses, cigars, or whatever outlandish re-creation I’ve been commissioned to…there’s the old too-familiar arm swipe crumbs onto plate, discard, and sweep up all the misfortunes that didn’t make the grand finale. 
My mom told me one day to save my crumbs. “You may be able to use them for something else.” I shrugged…and nonchalantly continued on with whatever I was doing at the time. From then on, whenever I began my routine clean-up I felt guilty. Waste not, want not….and all the frugality that Benjamin Franklin, our fore-fathers, and my old school mother preached entered my mind. Should I make an effort to save what I can’t use? And then one day, as I was sweeping up the residue of yet another sculpture, I looked at those crumbs and laughed. That’s right, I had myself a good old crying-laugh.
Everyday, I’m reminded of how God’s grace multiplies our chances to get our lives right. Even as we make insane decisions, take risks, and live again after devastation…we are continuously shaped into being the man or woman, God had intended. There are parts of us that are no longer apart of us. They were carved away as our master sculptor showed us how we didn’t need this or that to be the masterpiece he intended.
Yeah…I’m sure you’re saying turn those crumbs into cake pops or a crumb cake. There’s a purpose for everyone and my “those” cake crumbs, won’t allow me to be who God intended me to be. I have to shake them off and be reminded that even though they’re useful to some, leftovers, failed relationships, death of a loved one, sickness, defeat….crumbs…are not for me. I don’t need them to make a cake look beautiful…and I don’t need them to make me feel whole again…sweep, sweep, dump.
Tags: crumbs, loving life, moving on, starting again, starting over, starting your life over
