Everything I ever needed to know,
I learned from third graders.
Well, not any or all third graders.
These two third graders.
Of course, the first picture is of my handsome little man, Carson. The second picture, though Chloe appears in it, is of Carson's friend, Emmy. I love their genuine enjoyment of one another. I've been working with this grade for a few months, and I was already well aware of the general awesomeness of these two, but yesterday, I learned the depth of it.
Yesterday was the school's elementary Christmas program. Chloe sang a few ensembles and a solo. Carson sang a song with his class and read a passage out of Luke. (He actually read my favorite verse in the entire Christmas story. Luke 2:19) Both of them did great!
Emmy also sang a song with her class and read a passage of Scripture. When it was her group's time to read, she and the other two readers were to proceed from stage right (or was it left, I never remember how that stage right/left stuff works). They were to pick up their microphones and go to the center of the platform to begin reading. Unfortunately, Emmy fell on her way toward the stage.
I didn't see it because of where I was seated, but what I did see was Emmy pick herself up and carry on with the show. She was the last of the three girls to read. I'm sure they did a nice job, but all I could see was Emmy putting everything she had into not crying. The amount of suck-it-up that sweet third grader mustered would put most adults to shame. Quite frankly, I was bawling in the second row watching her little face fight back the tears!
When her time to read came, she read John 3:16-17 with total dignity and grace as if nothing had happened. It made me think about how often I let a bump in the road stop me. How often do I get flustered by the circumstances and miss my moment? Not Emmy. She grabbed her moment back.
School is out at 12:30 on Wednesdays, but Carson had running club yesterday so I didn't get to talk to him about the morning until 3:00. After his daddy brought him home from club, he came looking for me. As soon as I saw his face, I knew he needed to talk about something. He gets this pondering look that I can only describe as distant and beyond his years. He goes into some other mental place, only leaving when he's determined he knows what to ask or how to feel about something. He had the look.
"Mom," he said, "Did Emmy fall?"
"Yes, baby."
*more pondering face*
"Did anyone laugh at her?"
"No, Carson. No one laughed."
"Good. That's good."
I looked down at my 8-year-old. He didn't have pondering face anymore. He had it's-a-good-thing-no-one-laughed-at-my-friend-cuz-"or else"-would-have-happened face. And, I had to hug my little man.
Is there anything more precious in this life than a friend who'd be willing to beat up anyone who had the nerve to laugh at your fall? Thank you, God, for friends who are with me through it all and who had my back even when I didn't know it!
Well, not any or all third graders.
These two third graders.
Of course, the first picture is of my handsome little man, Carson. The second picture, though Chloe appears in it, is of Carson's friend, Emmy. I love their genuine enjoyment of one another. I've been working with this grade for a few months, and I was already well aware of the general awesomeness of these two, but yesterday, I learned the depth of it.
Yesterday was the school's elementary Christmas program. Chloe sang a few ensembles and a solo. Carson sang a song with his class and read a passage out of Luke. (He actually read my favorite verse in the entire Christmas story. Luke 2:19) Both of them did great!
Emmy also sang a song with her class and read a passage of Scripture. When it was her group's time to read, she and the other two readers were to proceed from stage right (or was it left, I never remember how that stage right/left stuff works). They were to pick up their microphones and go to the center of the platform to begin reading. Unfortunately, Emmy fell on her way toward the stage.
I didn't see it because of where I was seated, but what I did see was Emmy pick herself up and carry on with the show. She was the last of the three girls to read. I'm sure they did a nice job, but all I could see was Emmy putting everything she had into not crying. The amount of suck-it-up that sweet third grader mustered would put most adults to shame. Quite frankly, I was bawling in the second row watching her little face fight back the tears!
When her time to read came, she read John 3:16-17 with total dignity and grace as if nothing had happened. It made me think about how often I let a bump in the road stop me. How often do I get flustered by the circumstances and miss my moment? Not Emmy. She grabbed her moment back.
School is out at 12:30 on Wednesdays, but Carson had running club yesterday so I didn't get to talk to him about the morning until 3:00. After his daddy brought him home from club, he came looking for me. As soon as I saw his face, I knew he needed to talk about something. He gets this pondering look that I can only describe as distant and beyond his years. He goes into some other mental place, only leaving when he's determined he knows what to ask or how to feel about something. He had the look.
"Mom," he said, "Did Emmy fall?"
"Yes, baby."
*more pondering face*
"Did anyone laugh at her?"
"No, Carson. No one laughed."
"Good. That's good."
I looked down at my 8-year-old. He didn't have pondering face anymore. He had it's-a-good-thing-no-one-laughed-at-my-friend-cuz-"or else"-would-have-happened face. And, I had to hug my little man.
Is there anything more precious in this life than a friend who'd be willing to beat up anyone who had the nerve to laugh at your fall? Thank you, God, for friends who are with me through it all and who had my back even when I didn't know it!
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