The King of Everything walked into the Y’s winter camp today and was greeted with utter enthusiasm by his favorite camp counselor. The counselors at the Y camp have been such a great, positive influence in my young son’s life. He started at their summer camp when he was four years old, and they’ve seen him bloom and blossom.
So when Miss Shannon started hollering his name at the top of her lungs and swinging him around the lobby, any doubt or guilt I’d had about putting him into camp were swept away.
They were also taking the kids ice skating today. “How much?” I asked. I happily peeled off six bucks and laid it on the desk. “Is there anyone who can’t go because they didn’t have the money today?” I asked. Two campers hadn’t managed to pay the fee. I counted out two more piles of crumpled ones. The counselors started to thank me and I blushed. “Don’t tell the kids I did this, ok? I’m a single mom. I know what it’s like not to have the money. Just tell them… I dunno. Tell them Santa didn’t want them to miss the fun.”
For the cost of two fancy drinks at Starbucks, two little kids had the time of their lives at the ice skating rink today, and I found my fourth happiness of the season: being able to help, no matter how small a gesture it might be.
We need more people like you. Small acts are the most powerful source of change because they’re ‘doable’. Because they can be done simply and easily and at little to no cost, we can continue to do them day in and day out.
A story that exemplifies the importance of each one of us doing what we can (even if it ’seems’ small), is about the little girl and the starfish.
A little girl was walking along the seashore after high tide, tossing starfish back into the water. She passed a man, who said: “What are you doing? You DO realize that it is impossible to save all those starfish, don’t you?” She leaned down and picked up a starfish lying at their feet and tossed it back into the waves.
“I just saved THAT one.” she said.
If each one of us just saved one starfish (that one child…that one animal…) they WOULD all be saved.
What a lovely thing to do.
How kind!
I bet they had a great time!
I really enjoy reading your blog.
Enjoy the season,
Nicole