The day full of hearts and roses and mushy cards is right around the corner. I, for one, will be celebrating by taking the day off work and spending time with Anne until that evening, when Kristian and I will be going to see Flogging Molly at the Tabernacle. Yep, no fancy dinners for us. We'd rather spend our time together dancing our butts off to some kicka$$ Irish punk music.
When I dropped Anne off at daycare this morning, the director mentioned to her teacher that they were planning on handing out Valentines to the kids. I immediately remembered my own elementary school Valentine's Days and that usual twinge of guilt came over me. As a kid, probably like most kids do, I always selected my favorite cards in the box for the kids in my class that I liked, and the "ugly" cards for the kids I didn't. Of course, those kids never knew they were getting the "ugly" cards, but looking back on it makes me feel like a crappy person. But no one told me I shouldn't do it that way.
I think when Anne gets old enough to hand out cards, I'm going to teach her to give her very favorite card to her best friend (after all, your best friend does deserve the best), and then give the rest of her favorite cards to the kids she's not as fond of. I will teach her that Jesus loves everyone, not just the popular or cool kids, and she should follow suit. Maybe the kids she doesn't like as much need the "pretty" cards more; a little compassion goes a long way. You just never know, that Valentine could make a huge difference in that boy or girl's life. Or perhaps even just in Anne's as she learns to be more empathetic and compassionate toward her peers. Seems like a good lesson to me.
No comments:
Post a Comment