The phone call that made me cry.

I use this blog for journaling, so forgive me if you've heard this already.

One night last week I got a phone call from the mother of one of Danny's classmates. She told me that her daughter, Annika, is in Mrs. White's 2nd grade class with Daniel. She explained that Annika has some speech delays and that her peers often struggle to understand her. Often, she said, Annika's classmates avoid her because they don't know how to deal with her speech impediment.

At this point I was a little concerned that I wasn't going to like what I heard next. I thought the worst, and assumed that this mom was calling to let me know about some inappropriate behavior. Her words then humbled me and made me feel ashamed for thinking such.

Annika's mom told me that the kids had a fire drill that day while Annika was in speech class. Daniel and the rest of his classmates were in their homeroom and were able to quickly grab their coats and hurry outside. Annika was nowhere near her coat, but was rushed out to join her class for the fire drill. It was probably 25 degrees outside and the girl must have been freezing.

Daniel saw that she didn't have a coat so he offered her his. He insisted that his shirt and undershirt would be enough to keep him warm. The little girl was extremely grateful for his sweet kindness.

Annika, who normally never talks about school, told her mom all about Daniel and his act of service. Her mom can never get her to share any details about her day. She said the fact that Daniel left a big enough impression with Annika that she would talk about him, really meant a lot. This is a girl who doesn't say much of anything.

The mom thanked me for raising such a gentleman and said to thank Daniel for giving her little girl something to talk about.

I just wept. I am so proud of that kid! He is good to his very core.

He was honored by the principal a few days later for starting a letter-writing campaign for the recess workers. Daniel thought that the workers needed some thank-you notes for working to clear snow off the playground.

What a thoughtful kid!

I'd love to say, "I must be doing something right." However, I don't believe any of this was my doing. Daniel came to us full of energy and beaming with a desire to do good. He's such a good example. He wants to please those around him. He sincerely feels the pains of his wrong choices and hurries to correct them. Daniel is full of love and teaches me daily what real joy is.

While it saddens me that he rarely hops up on my lap to read a story, I am enjoying seeing the little man that he's becoming.