Jelly Side Up

I recently heard this idiom used to describe someone's life. It's an idiom that apparently derives from the unlikely probability that a half slice of bread with PB&J dropped will land "jelly side up."

Jelly side up indicates that everything turns out in favor of this person when the circumstances say it shouldn't - therefore, Jelly Side Up.

He's running late, and has no possible way of making a flight; but, he gets to the airport and the flight has been delayed, so he makes the flight.

As soon as I heard this, I statred using the same idiom to describe Jeff becasuse, honestly, it seems everything turns out in his favor.

Now, I think it's genetic.

Forrest finished his required hours for his driver's license with just one day to spare before leaving the States for another year. Yep, we were sixteenth in line at the DL office, we had many things going against us that I will not put in writing to keep the wonderful man who helped us in his rightful position, but he got that license with only one hour to spare. 

Jelly Side Up.

Forrest is off to Young Life Camp. Jeff is home working in HK.  We have a few more days in the mountains and then the rest of us head back to HK. 

We checked into the Charlotte airport heading back home to HK. The agent gave us the passports, we plopped our luggage on the scale, and found Tay's passport was gone. GONE. For once, we were really early to the airport, so we looked for one solid hour, we checked lost and found, we asked the AA agent at least five times to check around his area, and we finally had to board our flight to Chicago. 

We prayed. We sent a few texts to our praying friends. We boarded the plane to Chicago with no passport to get us back to HK. Then, we rested. I actually slept on the plane from Charlotte to Chicago. No one was upset, really. No one was in a panic. We had no idea what we were going to do once we tried to get on the next plane out of the country without a passport. 

We were sitting in front of the plane. The plane got to the gate, we stood up to get our few bags, and someone said my name. I looked up and a girl with a note said the passport was coming in from Charlotte on the next AA flight to Chicago. Wow.  We had a 2.5 hour layerover in Chicago. We arrived at gate H9, and the passport would arrive at the next gate, H10, in one hour.  We had time to grab lunch, take our melatonin in preparation for the 16 hour flight, wait for the passport to walk off the plane, get ourselves over to the international terminal, go through security (where that passport would be absolutely necessary), and get home to HK 16 hours later.

We have no idea where the passport was found. Nothing. Someone must have turned it in, and AA quickly gave it to a flight attendant on the next flight to Chicago. But, we really don't know.

Jelly Side Up

For our "Jelly Side UP" man, Jeff, I really believe it has more to do with his attitude toward life than any crazy probability.  Jeff is the eternal optimist.  He truly tries to see the good in everyone. He knows he is here on this earth for a purpose. He knows he is flawed, he knows he is loved, and he knows he wants to make a positive difference in this broken world.  He also knows everyone has a story that is often heartbreaking, so he is the most forgiving and loving person I know. Yes, it's Jelly Side Up, but I believe that's because he chooses to pick up the PB&J, once fallen, and turn it Jelly Side Up. And, he's teaching us to do the same.