Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are probably one of the simplest, easiest and most common lunches found in every lunchroom across the country. With only three ingredients, two of which are stated in the name, the combination of peanut butter, jelly and bread make an uncomplicated, yet perfect sandwich. While this lunch may be generic, it does not take away the fact that it is so damn delicious.

Since kindergarten, my mom has packed me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch at least once a week. In elementary school, happiness overcame me as I pulled the shiny, tinfoil out of my lunchbox and unwrapped it to find a peanut butter and jelly sandwich bundled up inside. As I carefully chewed each bite, my mouth smiled because the sandwich was so satisfying for my little taste buds.

However, it wasn’t just the taste that made me smile, but the love that was presented with each sandwich, knowing my mom had carefully packed me the perfect lunch each morning.

Who knew a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich could fill me with so much joy?

While the whole wheat bread was always smothered with creamy Skippy peanut butter, the sandwich did evolve overtime: from no crust to crust; from raspberry jelly to strawberry jam; from cut into four pieces to cut in half.

As the peanut butter and jelly sandwich changed, so did I. I grew older, and in what feels like a blink of an eye, colors became chemistry, triangles defined trigonometry, and after school activities were known as extracurriculars. While I would still have my packed peanut butter and jelly for lunch, the sandwich would often become squashed in a plastic bag under pencils, English books, and calculators in my backpack; it would be gobbled up, unsavored in lunch as I scrambled to get to class or crammed for a test next period.

In my case, the little joy of the delicious, perfectly- made, yet simple sandwich was lost as life became complicated.

But this is often the case.  The little joys get lost in the shuffle of life and we forget to appreciate the moments in front of us that truly make us smile.
Today, my classmates and I are graduating from high school, not only a dignified accomplishment but a once in a lifetime moment So, instead of worrying about our dresses, and hair, the pictures and celebration parties, we need to not forget the small things that shape our tremendous success, the small things along the journey that made us smile, like my delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich.