Buying school supplies with the girls today...and we needed 7 boxes of Kleenex! As we loaded up the Walmart cart, I had a flashback. In my minds eye I could still see an extra large blue box of Puffs.
I don't remember how old I was, but I was old enough to carry my books from class to class. I'm guessing around 5th grade. Those were the dark ages, when we didn't even get class lists. We simply bought the same basics every year, from kindergarten through fifth grade. Except, of course, in 4th grade the crayons were replaced by markers.
Anyhow, the night before school my mother handed me this extra large, blue box of Puffs "for school."
I pulled the insert out of the middle, threw it away and that box of Puffs rested on my school books. We didn't even have backpacks, come to think of it. We carried our books in front, with our arms wrapped around them. Except for me. I carried my books, plus my large box of blue Puffs on top, with my arms wrapped around them.
They traveled with me from science to social studies to math to reading, the entire school year. I remember the occasional curious classmate asking, "Why do you have that?" while pointing to my large, blue box of Puffs.
Such a question didn't even deserve an answer, I thought as I gave a look like "duh...why do you think?"
Can you believe I'm even sharing this story?!!
If you thought I was one short of a full deck before, now you know I am!
Yet, I didn't question my mother. She said, "Take this to school." I did! I took it to school exactly as I took my folders, binders and pencil pouch filled with pencils, scissors and markers. The occasional comments of classmates had no effect on me. I simply thought, "What's their issue?"
It never donned on me that not everyone was carrying a box of Puffs around. In fact, not one single soul was carrying a box of Puffs around...only Lisa Hackenberger.
I don't remember how old I was, but I was old enough to carry my books from class to class. I'm guessing around 5th grade. Those were the dark ages, when we didn't even get class lists. We simply bought the same basics every year, from kindergarten through fifth grade. Except, of course, in 4th grade the crayons were replaced by markers.
Anyhow, the night before school my mother handed me this extra large, blue box of Puffs "for school."
I pulled the insert out of the middle, threw it away and that box of Puffs rested on my school books. We didn't even have backpacks, come to think of it. We carried our books in front, with our arms wrapped around them. Except for me. I carried my books, plus my large box of blue Puffs on top, with my arms wrapped around them.
They traveled with me from science to social studies to math to reading, the entire school year. I remember the occasional curious classmate asking, "Why do you have that?" while pointing to my large, blue box of Puffs.
Such a question didn't even deserve an answer, I thought as I gave a look like "duh...why do you think?"
Can you believe I'm even sharing this story?!!
If you thought I was one short of a full deck before, now you know I am!
Yet, I didn't question my mother. She said, "Take this to school." I did! I took it to school exactly as I took my folders, binders and pencil pouch filled with pencils, scissors and markers. The occasional comments of classmates had no effect on me. I simply thought, "What's their issue?"
It never donned on me that not everyone was carrying a box of Puffs around. In fact, not one single soul was carrying a box of Puffs around...only Lisa Hackenberger.
I want my faith to be like that...
One-of-a-kind,
causing others to notice and
out in front with my arms wrapped around it!
And it doesn't hurt to have a tissue box ready for anyone who needs a tissue and a listening ear or just had their nose bloodied:) A tissue-box friend - that's what you are.
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