This “Happy Friday” is coming from me…as Kevin would say, “His Beautiful Bride.” I truly feel honored and privileged to be taking on such a task. In the past month my heart convicted me of writing, and my sweet Mother-n- Law confirmed it when she out of the blue told me I should, too. I guess God has a funny sense of humor because I did not feel confident at first, I felt unsure of myself, and I compared myself to my husband. He is truly gifted in the area of writing, but here I am, and I am going to just write what is in my heart.
First, I want to say how honored and proud I am to be
married to this man that touches my life every "Happy Friday "and so many others… actually every
day he touches my life. I can also say I know our boys feel the same way, too.
In his favorite book, “Tender Warrior,” Stu Weber’s book is about every man’s
purpose, every woman’s dream, and every child’s hope. To me, my husband is that
and more.
Something pretty special happened today, Thursday, and it
was God telling me this is the Friday that I want you to write this “Happy
Friday.” Of course, I felt excited at first, committed to Kevin that I would,
and then I thought “Oh No, what am I doing.” It has been about 6 hours now that
I have pondered what I am going to say, and it feels right.
You see, family dinners and family time is very important to our
family. Dinner time has been one of our favorite times to just be together, no
interruptions, and quality time around the table talking and sharing. For years,
one of Kevin’s favorite thing to do is go around the table, asking all of us, “Did you
do your best today,” “Were you your own person,” and “Did you bless a life
today?” We all enjoy answering and listening to each other’s stories. I think
when Landry was in Kindergarten he helped someone to the nurse’s office for a
whole month. We giggled at times because we knew he was telling a little white
lie, but he wanted to be like his brothers and feel important. He actually
did do it a couple of times.
OK, to get to the point of this post. Kevin and I received
an email from our son’s Language Arts teacher. He is our 13 year old. You see,
ever since he was little we noticed he had an incredible heart and spirit. He
sees things and is moved to act in ways that others, including me might miss at
times. So, Wednesday, something pretty
special happened that his teacher wanted to share with us. We even asked around the dinner table if
anyone had something to share about their day, and he did not even mention it.
His spirit is just truly special and to him this is just what he is all about.
I am going to post parts of the email to share with you so it can encourage you
to sometimes slow down in your life, including mine, and make a difference in
someone’s life. We all want to feel loved, important, valued, cherished. I am
going to leave names off to respect their
privacy.
"My name is Ms. X and I am your son’s Language Arts
teacher. I just wanted to send this brief email to thank you for the amazing
job you must have done with him as he is such a big help to me and a delight to
all his classmates in our 1/2 period class. In just our few short weeks together,
I have come to see his pure desire to care for others. He is certainly a hard
worker and highly motivated as far as academic achievement, but please know
that I have observed an even greater quality in him: his beautiful heart. When
I finally gave the class an assigned seat arrangement last week, I purposefully
seated him next to a friend, because I trusted him; however, I also seated him
next to our only special needs student. This boy is a great student, but he has
a hard time socially, because many of his classmates are either turned off by
him or they prefer to tease him. I knew your son would be the mature, hard
working, and sensitive companion this boy needed, and I was right. Yesterday,
I witnessed something truly touching, which inspired this email. We had just
finished watching a video about a father, husband, and pro surfer who used his
experiences with his autistic son to help the lives of many similar families.
We then reflected on this video through a worksheet. While most students rushed
through the assignment, turned it in, and used the extra time to chat, I
observed your son stand next to this boy and carefully guide him through each
question with such tenderness and patience. The point of the reflection was to
help the students explore their unit's essential question about the definition
of a hero.His example in that moment brought tears to my eyes, and I had to
find my composure in front of the class as I told the students that sitting amongst
us was another hero: your son. I wanted you to know of this incident and of how
proud you should be of the wonderful human being you have helped shape. I know
he will go far with these shining qualities. Thank you and have a restful
holiday weekend!
WOW, Kevin and I were speechless and we were brought to tears reading
this. Our hearts were filled with such joy. I do not even have enough words to
explain how I felt. Always remember it does not take some big event to make someone a hero. Sometimes in life it is the small things that are the most important. I do want to share one more portion that is important to
this message. I am going to speak to you Dads out there. I know from the depths
of my heart and soul that our boys are the way they are because of their Dad’s
unconditional love and presence in their lives (and by the Grace of God because
Kevin and I make many mistakes...Kevin more than me!). Now, Moms, you are very important and
special, too, and have a huge impact on your children and husband. Children desperately
need their Dad, your children need your heart. I encourage you Moms and Dads to not live with regrets but to live for what matters most....your precious family. I encourage you Dads to win the hearts of your children and wives and to leave a legacy of integrity and character. You will truly reap what you sow.
To end this, I want to praise you, Kevin, for the man you
are, the husband you, and the dad you are. To my sweet, sweet 13 year old son…you have touched my heart in a way I can't even explain, and I am so honored to be your mom.
One of my favorite quotes is, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou
Have a blessed weekend, and remember to make a difference in someones life. Find that beautiful heart within you.
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