Keeping Sterling Warm

Sterling's 3rd grade class traveled 2 hours to our state capitol last week.  The weather had been fairly mild earlier in the week, but on field trip day it was windy and really cold.  In the excitement and rush of getting ready, Sterling left home without his coat.  Having begged for a ride to school that morning, I doubt Sterling even thought about his coat since he didn't have to wait at the cold bus stop.  As I watched him get out of the van in his short-sleeved t-shirt, my heart dropped as I realized there was nothing I could do.  His bus was leaving within 10 minutes and I couldn't make it home and back in time.  I worried about him all day.

I didn't feel any better after calling the school hotline that evening to see what time they would be home.  The message his teacher left said they had a great day, although eating lunch outside was really cold.   I was gearing myself up for a miserable little boy when I picked him up at the school that evening.

But Sterling was all smiles.  He had a great time and one of the girls in his class let him borrow a jacket.  A purple jacket.  He was just glad to have something!  But then he told me that his teacher bought a sweatshirt in the museum gift shop for her nephew and told Sterling he could wear it the rest of the day.  Now, I don't know if she bought that sweatshirt for her nephew or not, but that one gesture brought tears to my eyes.  Maybe I'm making too much of this, but every time I think about it I am so grateful to a wonderful teacher for keeping Sterling warm.