Thank You, Thank You, Thank You......

It is all over. Our girls have ended yet another year of their elementary education. Our oldest finished up a very long and difficult year of fourth grade. Even as I write those words they don't seem real; fourth grade is a big girl grade. Our first little baby is now officially a big girl, who will soon be a fifth grader; that is a truth I am not ready to even allow to set in.

Fourth grade brought out some challenging times academically for our sweet girl. Tests with low scores, studying thru tears, conferences with teachers explaining some of her struggles. My heart weighed heavier with each conversation. Her need for help was obvious, and yet not knowing entirely how to help her magnified the frustration of her need for help in the first place. How would she deal with these difficultiies? How would she handle fifth grade? ....The questions of the unknown overwhelmed me.

I just wanted to help. I wanted to be able to give her all the answers to inject confidence and strength for her to be able to keep going and to do well. Over the year, the battle with homework caused more heartache for us both. I was so frustrated that I could not help her to see what I saw and she was overly apologetic and embarrassed about what she simply could not see.

I worried about who she would become and how she would overcome some of her struggles. For the last few years many people have given me great advice and really helpful resources, but ironically it was not until the last day of school that I truly felt hope and realized she was going to be alright. The morning of her last day of fourth grade our sweet daughter sat at her desk making her teacher a thank you card for the year. When I walked up behind her and asked to see it, I could not have been prepared for such a beautiful moment. As I held the card in my hand I read my daughters slanted handwriting written in blue crayon I read the words Thank You, Thank You, Thank you, written four times stacked on top of each other, taking up the entire front of the card. I opened the card and saw multicolored crayon colors that wrote out the words ....'for helping me with math and for helping me with reading" below it. The right hand side of the card said "....and most of all for being so patient and kind with me." I was at a loss for words. All my worries, fears and doubts came to the surface, I welled up with pride and hope and joy.

Our sweet nine year old may need help to really learn and know her math facts, but she understands on a much deeper level what it means to feel loved and cared for by her teacher. Her maturity allows her to recognize a genuine heart of care and concern in the form of patience that her teacher showed her. What a tender heart, what a gentle spirit. Oh that my heart would be so quick to identify these qualities in others and make them a priority in myself. She is only nine, and yet so inspiring to me. I have always hoped and dreamed that my children would grow up with grateful hearts that desired to love people. Math may take awhile to understand, but I am no longer worried, because I know now what math cannot show me; our oldest daughter gets it! Her heart is true and good and filled with compassion and gratitude at just nine years old. She will be just fine, Thank you God.