Because It's Byotiful
Ever year, during the month of February, my husband and I read a book to our classes at Galveston Elementary School where we volunteer as literacy advocates, with a program called BookPALS. The book, Somebody Loves You, Mr Hatch, is a children's story about how a secret Valentine changes the life of a lonely man. It chokes me up every time.
My second grade class is not too young to understand what it means to be lonely, or left out, and how love and kindness can change a life.
Below is a piece I re-post each year for Valentine's Day, followed by a challenge at the end.
From my archives:
Sitting on my table is a bundle of happiness. A bag of homemade valentines – the kind made out of Crayola crayons, glue and construction paper. The kind found only in the imagination of a child.
The smell of Crayola crayons brings me back to elementary school, when everyone had a valentine box and I gave a valentine to everyone in class: to the shy girl in the second row, to the boy who chased me during recess and swung the highest on the playground, to the pretty girl with the freckles and long braids, to the class clown and to the boy who sat alone at lunchtime. Everyone got a card and everyone went home with a full box of valentines.
What a novel idea - cards and happiness for everyone! It’s too bad that this tradition was abandoned as we grew older.
As I look at this stack of valentines on my kitchen table, I am touched by this simple gesture of friendliness from the students in the second-grade classrooms where I read as a BookPALS volunteer each week.
Some of my favorites:
“I love your reading a lot. It is fun a lot. I love it a lot. And you are pretty too a lot.”
From Eliza.
“Dear Mrs. Hartke. I feel happy win you read your byotiful stories. I like win you read. It maks me wan to snugl you. Happy Valentines.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day Mrs Hartke. You’r the best gerle in the school.” From Yenez.
I love the open abandonment of children with their love and friendship. We could all learn a lesson from their innocence. I’m thinking I may need to get out my own crayons and construction paper and create a few cards of my own. Or send an email. Or stop by the Hallmark store.
The people in my life need to know they are pretty - a lot.
To hear they are the best.
And to know that what they do is byotiful.
Do you have someone who needs a snugl today?
So here's the challenge: Can you do an act of kindness to someone who is alone or struggling? Can you send a card or note to a person who needs one? I'm adding several people to my Valentine list this year.
How about you?
