Suffer the Little Children

One of my students was absent on Thursday because he and his family had tickets to go see the Pope in Washington, D.C. He brought me back a small crucifix, which he said had been blessed by the Pope. Now, I'm not Catholic, but I was very moved by his little gift. This student is always telling me what his priest was talking about at mass, and is constantly interested in the things of God. At the beginning of the school year, we memorized the books of the Old and New Testament. This student was very excited to call his priest to tell him all the books.

This is just a little bit about the student in order to explain my sentiment about the gift. He has a sincere adoration for God and the things of God, and the fact that he wanted me to have something from his experience meeting the Pope, well, that means something to me. It makes me feel important in the child's life. I am a part of this child's life. Sometimes, in the daily routine of teaching, it's easy to just do a job. I don't want to be that teacher. I want to be part of something bigger. I don't know how to do that, but I suppose if I am doing what I can to be a part of these kids' lives, it might very well just kind of happen. What a thought!