Today was the last day of school before the holiday break. It was also Pajama Day. On this day, we all wear our pajamas to school and we ask that everyone who is able, to donate a new pair of pajamas for a child in need. This is the fourth Pajama Drive that I have organized and in the four years, we have collected over 1000 pairs of pajamas. This year, we were able to give away nearly 350 pairs.
At the end of the day, we had a holiday party in my class. The class was so generous and gave me some very lovely things. There were several parents at the party helping out, and they gave me a gift from the entire class. It was such a touching gift, that I cried in front of the class and had to explain to them why people cry even when they are happy!
One of my class parents told me that several of them read my blog. I knew that a few of them did, but hadn’t realized there were so many! She told me that they knew that this Christmas was going to be a difficult one after the year that our family has been through. One of the gifts that they presented me with was a charm of an angel’s wing in memory of mom and Francine. That alone made me emotional, but then, she told me that one of the mom’s made a Plum Pudding for my dad, after hearing that it was going to be the first Christmas without one since my mom made him one every year. I had written about how I’d need to find a way to make one, and this mom, found a recipe and with the help of her own mom, she made it for my dad. That’s when I started to cry. Happy tears, grateful tears, appreciative tears. My dad was nearly speechless when I told him about it.
The school I teach in is an amazing place, filled with wonderful, compassionate families. After mom and Francine died, the support and generosity they showed was over and beyond what I could have ever expected. This year has been no different and I am truly blessed to be a part of the school community. I thank them all from the bottom of my heart.
Tagged: crying when we are happy, Francine, generosity, helen ficalora charm, mom, mom bench, pajama day, plum pudding, school community, the bench
A Project for Kindness 
it is an amazing school. and an amazing town! have a merry christmas!
Thanks Kim,a very Merry Christmas to all of you as well!
We are all lucky to have you at Tuscan and in Maplewood. Happy holidays, and please keep blogging because I love reading it!
Thanks Erin. How lucky am I to have been able to teach two of your children!! One more….maybe in a few years?!?!