It was Christmas for Ms. Knowles today

I got two presents today. One was a late Christmas present. It wasn’t from one of my kids this year. It wasn’t from one of my kids last year. It was from a sibling of one of my kids last year who always walks by my door grinning like I’m a movie star. She joyfully spouts out every morning, “Good Morning, Mrs. Knowles.”

Today she brought me a present in Charlie Brown Christmas Paper. She said, ”I brought you a Christmas present,” not showing any proof that she knew Christmas was already over. I was pleasantly surprised and confused, but I thanked her and set it on my desk.

In between reading groups and while checking e-mail and telling kids to sit down, I ripped it open without thinking about it.

There in the Charlie Brown paper was a not-so-gently used paperback thesaurus with water stains and doodles in the front. I was perplexed as to what made this girl say,” I’ll give this book to Ms. Knowles.”

I started to think…maybe she was trying to get rid of it. Maybe she thinks my vocabulary is an embarrassment to teachers. Maybe it’s her favorite accessory and wanted to share with me. I don’t know why she gave it to me. And really, I don’t know what I’ll do with it.

Then I decided maybe it was that she was so excited to wrap and give me a present. And the present itself was seeing her beautiful smile as she handed me her gift.

The other present I got was an apple from my sweet yet rugged girl. It’s hard not to call her by a name, but I still have to be a professional, even if I’m a blogger.

It’s been a rough week, and I’ve been praying for her each night and in those moments when I am beyond frustrated. I have felt your prayers, and I truly feel as if my life is better, because she is in it. Normally her lunch consists of a slice of ham and two pieces of bread. And that’s it. She always tells me she’s hungry. While her lunch at school costs forty cents, her mom still can’t afford to pay for it. Or something. Today she had her usual sandwich. But the apple is not usual. That was a treat. I know this, because we talk about her lunch and how she wishes she could eat more.

So I knew this apple was not an everyday apple.

Then she pulls out another apple…that she brought me. She gifted me with a piece of fruit, giving me what is a treasure to her. Who knows where that apple has been? Honestly, I’m scared to think about it. But I humbly accepted it and kept it on my desk as a reminder of my love for Faith, but more importantly, my Savior’s love for her.

May I never miss the little moments to learn of sacrificial love, even if it’s in the form of an apple and a fourth grader.