Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Kindness

I have always been a fan of kindness. You know that saying, "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." I have no idea who said this, but I think it is so true. I try to be extra sweet when I'm checking out at the grocery store or Target or in the drive thru. You just never know what someone might be going through and how just a kind word can make a big difference in a person's day.

I have been on the receiving end of a lot of kindness lately. You see, Evan is in a classroom that is specific for children with autism. His teachers are one of a kind, loving, fantastic, amazing teachers. I will be forever grateful for them for making Evan's future brighter. He is in this classroom most of the day, but lately he has been pulled out some to go to a typical classroom. The idea is to "HOPEFULLY" after next year, have him integrated into a mainstream classroom for most of the school day. I can't tell you how proud I am of Evan. He is working so hard. It is HUGE that he is able to leave his class of six students and go to a class of 20+ students, participate a little and do some work. HUGE!

Last week the school had "Faculty Follies," which was a fund raiser and the teachers put on a show. It was SO cute! Derek and I were sitting in the cafeteria and one of Evan's teachers brought over the teacher Evan is with when he is in the mainstream classroom. She is just precious. She went on and on about how much she loves Evan and how sweet he is and how he is working hard. With tears in my eyes, I thanked her for helping him learn and for loving him (which is equally or more important than the learning part to me) . She said something that I'll never forget. She said, "You know, this could be my grandchild one day or someone in my family, and I would hope someone would do the same for me." Wow! I wish everyone on the face of the planet felt that way! She also told me there was a little boy in her class named Payton that asked if he could play with Evan that day. He told Mrs. H, "I think Evan could be my good friend." Ok, I'm a bawling mess at this point! I have prayed for this for Evan. I have prayed there will be children that will take him under their wing, that will be helpers to him, and there is little Payton. After playing with Evan that day, Payton took Evan by the hand and walked him back to his classroom.

I am incredibly thankful for the kindness of Mrs. H and little, precious Payton. My heart is full (and I continue to bawl my eyes out...ha)! Kindness makes a difference. It does!

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

16 comments:

Kandi West said...

This was such an inspiration to me today. Thanks for posting it. Love you much!

Candy said...

You are precious Leigh Ann!!! I can just tell from reading your blog how SWEET you are to everyone. Evan is such a sweetheart and I'm so glad that things are going so well for him at school!

Faith said...

So precious!! I'm so thankful for these answers to your prayers. Evan is such a blessing!!

Laura said...

What a great story, Leigh Ann! And reminder, too! Give Evan a hug for me!

Brooke said...

That is one of my favorite quotes! It's wonderful to know that Evan has great teachers and friends at school!

Kelley said...

Tears are rolling as I read this. What a great school and wonderful teachers! I am so glad that they love Evan. That type of teacher means a lot to me too. Mary-Kate had a rough start to her school year this year because she didn't think her teacher really liked her. I couldn't tell that the teacher liked her at all. What's not to love about a 3 year old. Now things are much better. I had to step in a bit (I did show kindness.) Now MK is thriving because she loves her teacher and her teacher loves her.

His Doorkeeper said...

Oh, this was so sweet and so true! Why not be kind? You truly do not know what a difference it can make. I, also, always try to be extra nice to people out in the workplace who have to "wait" on me. I just had the best conversation with an older lady who was a clerk in Dillard's not long ago.

I always think.....I would hate to be that old and still having to stand on my feet all day.

A great thought-provoking post Leigh Ann!

Amy @ Positively Splendid said...

This post absolutely blessed my heart, Leigh Ann!

Marci @All Things Wonderful said...

What a blessing! How sweet is little Payton. He must be a special little guy. That is wonderful that Evan is doing so well. Thank you for sharing with us. God is so good. I am always amazed how he answers prayers and blesses those who love Him.

Jacquie said...

Ok, I am bawling MY eyes out reading this!! How precious. Precious.

On a much different scale, the message of this post is basically what I got out of the movie "To Save a Life". What a different world we would live in if everyone daily would try to show kindness to people they come in contact with. It may just save someone's life...

I'm thrilled for Evan and for you. God is good.

Megan L Hutchings said...

Truer words were never spoken. We all have our bad days/moments, but we should all strive for genuine kindness. You just never know...

I am so happy Evan has found a little friend. He has made so much progress and will continue to do so!

Tara G. said...

What an absolutely precious story!!!! I love it when God shows us the answer to prayers-especially those for our children!

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Melissa said...

Girl, I have not stopped by in a while, but thank you for reminding me to pray for my little one's friendships. She was moved to a public school this year so that she could get more support from the special needs class. I don't know if she has made any "true" friends or not, but she talks about friends and I just PRAY that the Lord will bring someone special into her life that will love her just as she is. It is SOO important to show kindness to EVERYONE and it's only going to bring blessings our way when we remember that!

Unknown said...

That is such a precious post. My maiden name was Horton:) There aren't many of us around here. Thanks for sharing Evan with us.