The Note

[snopes]

Winter break had started off with a tragedy for one of the boys in the fifth grade class I was teaching. His mother had died in a fire when she entered the house a second time to save the boy's younger twin brothers.

I had just a few minutes to go to the funeral home before leaving for the airport to join the rest of the family in Florida. It was a drizzly day with fog and no sunlight. Anticipating that I would miss him, I wrote him a note.

If anyone could identify with what he was going through, I could, because I had lost my father in a gas explosion. The only difference was that I was much older when my father had his tragic accident.

Winter break over, we all returned to school. My fifth grader became distant, so I played it by ear and never mentioned the loss. I wasn't too surprised, and could parallel some of his feelings, as I could never mention my father's death or discuss it with anyone for years.

Summer break came and we all parted. When the fall term started, the boy's former minister came to me with the news that the family had moved out of the county.

I asked how the boy was doing.

To my surprise, he responded, "Oh Freda, I want you to know he carried that note from you in his pocket until it was so frayed it was hardly legible."

I was drawn almost to tears realizing that in a covert way, I had helped this boy through the greatest tragedy in his life.

[Eddylizard]

Someone should have suggested he had the note laminated if it was that precious.

Writing a note and making sure the recipient gets it isn't really covert is it? It's pretty overt.

[One-Fang]

Fail. Rewrite from the boy's perspective, and include more about how the note changed his life entirely but he was never able to thank his teacher personally for some sappy reason.

[Photo Bob]

If only it had been Christmas break instead of winter break. Then the boy would have realized his mother's death was all part of God's plan, that his twin brothers were more important than he and that his teacher was a pawn of Satan.

Without her interference he would have torn up her blasphemous note, turned to the Bible and found his way in life and understood his place in God's plan to turn his younger brothers into television evangelists that would have raised enough money to build a gold plated ranch in New Mexico that would house the future messiah.

Instead he is left with a raggedy note and a belief in the philosophy that stuff happens so get over it.

A female teacher giving a personal note to a male student? Outrageous!

Photo "Why is it suddenly so hot in here and what am I doing in this hand basket?" Bob

[RCIAG]

Yeah that whole "winter break" thing ruins the message doesn't it?

I'm sure Obama was behind the removal of "Christmas" in that glurge.