What Do You See in Me?

Once each week, my daughter, Alyssa, helps her former first grade teacher with her current third grade class. She grades papers, helps individual children with assignments, and is available to lend a helping hand in whatever way it's needed. She loves it so much that this is her third school year as their high school helper.

Every year there is a Grandparents'/Special Person's Day. And, every year, there is at least one child who doesn't have an adult special person who can attend. Even if it isn't her scheduled day to help, Alyssa is there to spend the afternoon with whomever invites her to be their special person ... and on standby to be the special person to more than one child if the person they invited doesn't show up. (Sadly, it's happened.) It's one of those experiences that means a lot to the children, but a whole lot to Alyssa, too.

The day's activities include drawing a portrait and writing a description of your special person. So very sweet. I don't think Alyssa realizes it, but these are such precious gifts. We don't often get to see ourselves this way, through another person's eyes. Especially the innocent eyes of a child.

But what if we were to do something like this ... to somehow capture the image of a friend, loved one or other special person in our life and share a description of how we see them? Maybe, through our eyes, they can see something within or about themselves that they couldn't before. I think the idea of this idea makes my heart swell. There's definitely a project here. I feel the wheels turning ...