Today, after finishing a day at school and buckling himself for the ride home, my six year old announced that we do "sooooooo much service" . . .
Me: Yes, we do.
Six Year Old: It is so much work.
Me: Yes, it can be.
Six Year Old: I think we need to take a break from work and take a year long break from serving.
Me: Hmmmm, can we wait to decide that until you hear about what we are doing today?
Six Year Old: (suspiciously) I guess.
So, I told them about Carmen, an 8 year old girl. Carmen has been diagnosed with cancer and will miss the rest of 3rd grade and at least a portion of 4th grade to recover from surgery and treatment. With all this, she was asked what she wanted, she requested Valentine's Day Cards.
It includes more complete information.
Here is the address:
Carmen G
PO Box 156
Suquamish, WA 98392
I showed them Carmen's picture.
Six Year Old: (silence)
Me: Remember when you were in the hospital and others helped you?
Six Year Old: (thinking)
Me: Remember how happy our anonymous service made our friends last week.
Six Year Old: (thinking) Yes.
Me: Well, if we decided to stop serving last week, those people wouldn't have had those happy experiences.
Six Year Old: (silence)
Me: Should we help out Carmen? Send her some cards?
Six Year Old: (quietly) Yes.
And then we made her some cards with drawings and stickers and we put a homemade heart kite in the envelope. Both boys cheerfully got right to work to do their best in making Valentine's Day Cards.
Looking at what we did--
Me: So, how did doing all that work make you feel?
Six Year Old: I'm glad we did it.
Me: So, what do you want to do?
Six Year Old: Keep serving.
We are off to the post office to mail Carmen's Valentine's Day Cards. I am grateful to have the chance to talk to my boys about the importance of serving, of helping. I am sure that my six year old was tired from a full day at school and am impressed that he decided to try a bit harder at the work of serving another.
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