Sleeping Beauty

All my students are so totally different. Today "Sleeping Beauty" asked if she looked beautiful in her angel costume. (That's going to be her name for the sake of my blog) I replied "You always do." She smiled and hugged me after I finished pinning her hair up. After a bit of waiting around hoping the rest of the kids would show up in the classroom, we helped the boys get their costumes on and all of us took a trip downstairs to find my "little king's" fancy prop. It was tin box that for the play's sake was supposed to be holding gold, frankincense or myrrh. The "little king" asked why he needed to have it for the play. I explained that it was a gift he would be giving to a fake baby doll who represented Jesus in this play. He did not seem to care either way, he just wanted to know when snack time was going to be. He is so care free, I miss being a child sometimes. "Why do the boys get necklaces?" Asked  Sleeping Beauty. I told her because their roles in the play were to be great wealthy kings. "May I have one of the kings necklaces?" I said yes and chose a white pearly strand that matched her gown. Trying to put it around her neck she kept insisting she did not wear it but wanted to hold it. I barely got this picture since she ripped it off two seconds later. I did not understand, Sadly I thought she was just doing "A little girl thing" and left it at that.

During the play the little kings took their places next to the cradle and put their gift down for everyone to see. Then something surprised me, Sleeping Beauty walked up to the cradle while my dad in law was speaking. She silently took her necklace off and wrapped it around her fingers trying to make some imaginative design  and placed in in the cradle as a gift for the child. Wow. She had learned the boys were to give the baby Jesus doll wonderful gifts and wanted to give her own. That is why she did not want to wear it. She wanted to give him a gift. She is five years old and is more giving than most 25 or 35 year old's I know.

You can learn a lot from a child. A pure heart is such a beautiful thing.