it's better to give than to receive...

I don't normally blog from school, because, well...who has time for such?

I do have to share this brief story with you though.

It's the end of a long week. I'm tired and the kids are cranky and extra chatty. When I got to school this morning my first thought was, "OK, let's just get through the day!"

Around 8:30, the reading bell rings and my homeroom students go to a different teacher for reading (obviously meaning that I have a reading class separate from my homeroom class). Anyway, there's a little girl in my reading class who always always does what she's supposed to do in class. She's the kind of student that I would love to have every single year. Besides the fact that she's a good student, she also has one of the kindest hearts of any 8 year old I know. She's super shy so she doesn't say much, but when she does, it's always something nice.

Anyway, she came right up to me when she walked in for reading and she handed me this small, black purse...

When she gave it to me, I quickly realized that she was giving it to me. With a smile on her face, she quietly said "My sister and I wanted to use our allowance money this week to buy this for you. My mom said it was ok." With tears in my eyes, I just hugged her tightly and said "thank you."

Now, this purse probably cost only a couple of dollars, but that's just not the point here. The point is that this sweet, selfless little girl has been taught one very important lesson in life:

It's better to give than to receive.

Thank you, God, for providing us with small reminders of what's really important in life and for allowing the kindness of this special child to remind me to enjoy this beautiful day you've given rather than wish it away.

Bless that child.