My Kids Have Balls!

Can I just say that by the time I got to work yesterday morning, I was feeling pretty blue.  I won’t go into any of the details because y’all have to listen to me whining enough already.  But it’s a wonder I didn’t trip on my lips walking in the front door to the school.  Then when I clocked in, the secretary said, “Jeff, these bags are for you.  I don’t know who their from.”  I looked inside and they were full of kickballs and Frisbees!  Even an air pump and pins to keep the balls inflated.  A couple of my blog readers went shopping after hearing me say last week how sad I was that the kids didn’t have stuff to do during their recess. You know, there are still wonderful people out there.  Especially since I’d been feeling so low, looking in those bags just lifted me up.  I had to choke back the tears.

At recess, I took the balls and Frisbees out to the playground.  The kids were on them like cheetahs on a zebra.  It did my heart good to see it.  The best part is this:  When I was writing about how I wish they had some stuff to do out there, I was thinking of all of them but in particular there were a few kids that I really had in mind.  There’s this one kid, kind of hangs to himself.  He’s different from the other kids, really imaginative and articulate.  I see him over there talking to himself all the time.  He never does any of the physical stuff the other kids do like swing on the monkey bars. He reminds me so much of myself at his age.  Yesterday I saw he’d grabbed the red Frisbee ring.  “Hey you wanna toss it back and forth?”  I yelled.  I could tell he was unsure of his Frisbee throwing ability but when he discovered that he was actually pretty good at it, he just lit up!  One of the other kids that I thought could really use the activity is substantially overweight.  She usually just kind of walks around or sits on the bench.  I noticed that she was watching “Denver” and me throw the ring.  “You wanna join in?”  I asked pretty much expecting her to decline.  “Okay.” She said quietly.  The three of us stood there for twenty minutes enjoying the communion and the exercise.  I was conscious of what a great moment it was in my life.  And I’m pretty sure in there’s too.  It’s the little things, you know?

The blog readers who donated the equipment only signed the nice note they left with their first names so their kindness was anonymous… the best kind I think.  Let me just say from the bottom of my heart, from me and from the kids, THANKS GUYS!  You proved to me that there are still angels out there.  And boy do we need you!