81: Still Life -- GrandPa's Peanuts

While talking with my friend Marty this morning he reminded me of an old tale about my Grandfather. As a result I went to the store and got some peanuts, carefully parched (roasted in the shell) them, took them to the table to enjoy and reminisce.

Parched Peanut Snack

This result was a vivid reminder of my Grandfather. He managed a wholesale warehouse that supplied fresh fruits and veggies to most of the stores and restaurants in Central East Texas, and he loved parched peanuts. Every day, a man, carrying a cardboard box slung off his shoulder by a piece of rope, came by the warehouse. The box was full of small bags of parched peanuts and my grandfather bought a couple of bags to enjoy throughout his work day.


Well the story goes like this. The first question my grandfather always asked when he interviewed someone for a job was, “Do you Like Peanuts?” Think about it; he and his desk were covered with peanut shells and husk, what would you say? If you said yes, you did not get the job.

His reasoning was not selfishness but that there was always stuff for one to eat around the warehouse and you were welcome to eat it, but everything in the warehouse except peanuts one could eat with one hand and work with the other. It takes two hands to eat peanuts.

I know this tale is true and it brings to mind a question. Are we, as Christians, eating with one hand and working with the other, or are we just eating?