When the Menu is Manna

  It was the busiest time of the day - lunchtime in an elementary school, when I walked up on a little sitting alone, sulking, and with no lunch; I immediately sat down beside him. He was obviously in mourning for some reason. I quickly learned that a classmate had falsely accused him, and no one had come to his defense. When you are under double digits in age, and no one acknowledges your grief, this is a real problem that might invite future retaliation. I coaxed my sad little one to step aside with me and share his heart from start to finish. When he was through, I knew we needed to call in his accuser and get this straightened out. I dreaded this because no one saw it happen. Many times, over the years, I had to play the "He Said, She Said" game and decide fairly who was at fault. I fully expected to referee an argument or dissect the accusation piece by piece to determine who was guilty and who needed to learn a valuable lesson from this incident. Surely, I would see a s...