Post by dutchbelt on Dec 23, 2013 11:48:19 GMT -5
Here is a little memory story that I wrote several years back. Nothing to do with cows or animals----it is a story I like to share at Christmas.
The Gift----1st Grade
By Jerry Austin
Mrs. Stephens was a stately woman, grandmotherly and well educated. I remember her as a tall lady, well dressed, slender, with grey hair pulled up in a bun. Her warm smile and pleasant voice made learning a pleasure. Mrs. Stephens was my first grade teacher.
First grade was an unforgettable experience, definitely better than I had imagined. You see, I had been anticipating my entrance into the world of academia for quite some time before it actually happened. My two older brothers had given me a glimpse of what was coming. Every morning they were swallowed up by the large yellow school bus and then they reappeared later in the afternoon with stories that filled my young mind with wonderful pictures. I imagined what it was like to have friends that weren’t a part of my family, I imagined teachers who knew everything about everything, I imagined reading and writing, drawing and counting……..
It was a whole new world to me when I finally arrived. Bells ringing, desks, hallways, playgrounds, lunch in the cafeteria, milk cartons, girls, boys, teachers and ‘the principal’. New friends named Eddie Gillespie, Tom Kreutz and Steve Smith. Books with pictures, words and numbers. Recess filled with swings, merry go rounds, monkey bars, teeter totters, and games of tag or catch. Music class and arithmetic, story time and art, my little brain just wanted to soak it all up like a sponge.
Looking back now after many years, I realize one of the most important lessons I learned was how to give to someone else. Let me explain.
Christmas holiday was something that all of us kids looked forward to---two weeks of staying home from school, staying up late, sleeping in and just goofing off. But before we went on Christmas break Mrs. Stephens had a project for us to do. Our assignment was to make a Christmas ornament for our parents. It was to be our gift to them. Probably none of us kids had ever done that before, we had always been the receivers and not the givers.
Glue, glitter, toothpicks, a piece of ribbon and a small white styrofoam ball were what we needed to make the ornament. Mrs. Stephens had cups filled with red, green, gold and silver dye. Each cup was a separate color and we took turns dipping the toothpicks into the dye to turn them into brightly colored little sticks. After the toothpicks dried we then started stabbing them into the styrofoam using all of the colors. It was supposed to look like a star which was then sprinkled with glue and glitter. Maybe a better way to describe it is to say that it looked like a sparkling multi-colored sea urchin with a ribbon attached. Each one was a masterpiece. When we finished we placed the ornament into a small gift box.
The story could have ended there, but really it was only the beginning. When my mom opened the gift her reaction is still embedded in my mind---deep gratitude, tears flowing. She pulled me close and said, “It is wonderful! Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Wow! Amazing! My little gift had made her feel special. Maybe the best part was the feeling of joy that I experienced. That is a feeling I have never forgotten!
Merry Christmas!