i had a really sweet moment with one of my kiddos today. during journal time, one of my little girls approached me to read me her story. (side note: she has been a student who has really blossomed as a reader and writer. at the beginning of the year she really struggled and lacked confidence, but she's really caught up and she just glows with excitement about her journal entries. pretty cool)
her journal entry was like this:
I was feelg reely sad becus my frend tol me her dad died in the arme. i was so shokd to here that and i felt so sad for her. i cried and cried and cried. i told her, "i am so so so so sorry that happnd".
by the time she finished reading her journal aloud to me giant tears had welled up in my eyes. i was so very moved by her overwhelming amount of sincerity and compassion all within this little body. i looked at her and just said, "that's so beautiful." she, being her little girl self, smiled gently and skipped back to her seat completely unaware of how profound her story was to me.
often times, adults do not know how to console people in the midst of tragedy. we have all these cliche statements to band-aid people's pain without really considering the depth of their loss. we push people into being hopeful and deny them their right to hurt and grieve.
then, here is this little girl who has only lived for seven years and has very little experience with death, tragedy, or loss, but she seemed to have the wisdom to handle her friend's pain in such a delicate and Christ-like manner. she embraced it and wept with her.
Thank you, Father for giving us moments as these to remind us of how to love and how you love us. Give us hearts like children --that we would care about others in a deeply moving way.
