Treasure Tuesday

I don't think anyone else is still doing "Treasure Tuesday" but I had an encounter at the school that became one of those "instant treasures" to me. It was a "warm a momma's heart" kind of moment.

The school's PTO held a cookie dough (the big buckets) fundraiser. I bought the obligatory 2 buckets (one kind for me and one kind for Joe - Kayla will eat whatever kind of cookie we give her!)

A lady from the PTO called last week to say the cookie dough was in; so after lunch Kayla and I went back to school to pick it up.

We walked up the steps that led directly in to this big auditorium-type room where there were about 6 ladies sitting in chairs in a semi-circle and some kids playing off to the side. Kayla was through the door first and as soon as we walked in it sounded like 3 or 4 of the ladies all said at once, "Look it's Kayla!" "Oh Kayla!" "Hi Kayla" and Kayla ran up and gave one of the ladies a hug. Then the first lady that I heard exclaim that it was Kayla called out to her daughter "S! Kayla's here!" and S came running over "Kayla!" Kayla had her arms open and her and S gave each other a big hug. Then S took Kayla's hand, said "c'mon" and Kayla ran off with her.

This all happened in the span of probably a few minutes, but the whole time I'm starring at these ladies, who obviously know my daughter, and I'm trying to find a familiar face in the bunch...there must be someone I recognize because how else would they know my daughter?

I think S's mom recognized a look of confusion on my face and said that all of their kids who were there all go to the morning preschool class. I asked if they were in Ms J's (Kayla's teacher) or Ms C's class and she said all of the kids were in Ms Mc's class. Ok, Kayla isn't even in their children's class, so how did they know her so well? I know the 2 preschool classes do get together - for instance they walk down to the cafeteria and have breakfast together (before the rest of the school) and afterwards go out to the playground together. They also have large motor group once a week and both classes are combined for that as well.

I know these ladies weren't teacher's assistants, well at least not in Kayla's classroom because I've met the 3 in that room. I know they weren't the ST, OT, or PT. So I wonder how they know who Kayla was so well. No I didn't really ask. I was too busy feeling so disconnected and still trying to place them! I thought I was "involved" in Kayla's schooling by reading everything that is sent home and making sure I participate in anything available, but there hasn't been any functions or anything that would cause me to be at the school to know her classmates that well.

Anyway, it just really warmed my heart to see how genuine the mom's were to see Kayla come through the door - so much so that the one mom had to call her daughter who ran over right away.

It didn't matter that Kayla couldn't run as fast as S (she was holding Kayla's hand and running with her and Kayla fell because she couldn't keep up - well S was taller so her legs are longer too!) It didn't matter that Kayla wasn't carrying on full conversations with the other kids. Nothing mattered to them except having fun and playing together.

I know things will probably change in the future; they won't always be this way (I pray they will though). But for this moment in time, my daughter was completely included and accepted as just another little girl, and that, to me, became an instant treasure.