when I was young, occasionally my mother would add an extra sandwich to my lunch

When I was young, occasionally my mother would add an extra sandwich to my lunch.

I think my dad must have had a lot of financial problems when we were little and there were times when she didn’t have anything else to put in my lunch besides the customary bologna and cheese sandwich.

But on the occasional day, she would put in a peanut butter and butter sandwich with sugar sprinkled between the two. That sandwich was so special.

I didn’t get it every day, but when I did, it was so good tasting.

Being a hungry little boy, I never got enough to eat anyway, so the extra sandwich was great. But the peanut butter, butter and sugar sandwich was delicious.

I occasionally make them now. And when I do, I think of the young woman, in her mid to late 20’s, stretching her husband’s food budget and giving her son his favorite sandwich in the bargain.

At one point, we needed a washer and dryer and finally were able to get one. My son, who was a mid teen at the time, was watching me put them in. He remarked to my wife, Isn’t it funny how I can be so excited about appliances?

My wife says that she was always excited when she accidentally got her father’s lunch. She took tuna fish salad to school, he took ham and cheese with mustard to work. Once in a while, they would get mixed up. Which meant, of course, that he had to eat tuna which he didn’t care for.

But Ella would get the other. It would be warm and the cheese, she said, would be all “melty.” It was a small thing, but special.

Once a few years ago, she made a ham and cheese sandwich to take to work and had no chips, so she popped a bag of popcorn. She found out that she loved popcorn with her sandwich.

When you don’t have a lot, small things can be joys. Appliances, a new used car, new plates, a misplaced lunch, a peanut butter, butter and sugar sandwich.