Have you ever had an experience that moved your soul in such a way that you go home thinking, “I never want to forget how wonderful that was.”? I always give to those in need this time of year, but last week I had an opportunity to do more than just give a gift. At 33 years old, I learned for the first time how much more you give to others when you give your time and energy as well as material things. And let me tell you, doing something for someone else is very moving to the soul.
I’m a new teacher to our school, so I had no idea what to expect when staff members began looking for volunteers to help at a “wrapping party”. Weeks prior, I had been asked by a second grade teacher if I had any needy students. The second grade teachers had taken it upon themselves to collect names of students in the community and find donors that would provide gifts for each child. Another teacher had already “adopted” one of my students and her siblings so I got to give a second name. Then, last Thursday, there was to be a wrapping party, where staff and second grade students all wrap the gifts. Sounds like such a neat idea, right?
Although I liked the idea of the party, I didn’t feel a strong desire to be a part of it. Looking back, I know that I was just thinking of myself and how being a teacher of a combination second and third grade class has burned me out of energy. Just delivering solid instruction is exhausting enough. I don’t want to give any more time and energy to the teachers in one grade level or the other, because they both have awesome (and extremely time-consuming) stuff going on and I’ve found that I just can’t keep up with both of them. Lately I’ve been trying hard to say “no” because, realistically, I can only do so much. And since my colleagues respected my no’s, I figured it was ok to sit this party thing out.
But I didn’t. And I am so glad I got involved. My afternoon dismissal duty was right next to the location of the party so I decided to drop in for a few minutes. Oh, yeah-another piece of honesty: I don’t wrap. I hate it and I am a terrible wrapper. At Christmas and birthdays I usually pawn the gift-wrapping off on my husband, who wraps with the precision that his military career taught him. So I was just going to peek for curiosity’s sake, but was not going to wrap anything.
It was just… Amazing. Parents, teachers, and second grade students were all asked to help. There was a pretty good turnout, enough to fill the teacher’s lounge with wrappers but not so many that it was crowded. Children were running gleefully around, pieces of tape stuck to their finger and ready to be placed on just the right spot. Volunteers checking with a careful eye that the names on each bag corresponded to the name on a gift’s tag. Bows, ribbons, brightly colored paper, and presents were everywhere. In the end, I wrapped gifts after all. But I had Luz and Ernesto helping me cut and tape, so if the gifts look funky it was a team effort.
For me, the most touching moment was when two sixth grade girls recognized a name on a bag. I heard one whisper to the other, “This one says Flora!” Then they inconspicuously checked the other names on the bag to see if they were Flora’s siblings, which they were. With eager faces and they carefully wrapped an mp3 player for their classmate and placed it back in the bag. The girls made sure that the gifts for Flora’s 4 sisters were properly wrapped and tagged by the other student helpers. When all the gifts were approved and in the bag, they tied the bag closed and gave it to the teacher in charge to be delivered, giggling with excitement all the while.
We all know the saying, “It is far better to give than to receive”, but giving your time and energy is equally important. What I did wasn’t anything difficult, but it was a true sacrifice of my time. Those who know me know that I am very stingy with my time. Because I helped when I didn’t want to, children in the community were blessed and I learned to think a little less of myself and my desires. And I had fun! I hope that this holiday season also provides you and your family with memorable moments and plenty of joy.