New Pair of Shoes- Maddie Bergstrom

Having that one specific pair of shoes to match your favorite outfit for your first day of school was always such a huge thing for me. I love being able to tie an outfit together with my favorite pair of booties, run without getting blisters in my favorite pair of Nikes, play soccer in my cleats, and slip on my comfy shoes for a quick late night trip to the store. After every soccer game, long day at work, or day of school my socks always go to the dirty clothes and a nice clean pair is ready for me in my top drawer for my next day. 

We had the awesome opportunity to give a pair of shoes and two pairs of socks to each kid at the school today. One by one, each class came in and lined up to be measured and as the day went on I could not help but be overwhelmed with emotion. As each kid took off their shoe, I started to notice a pattern of no socks.  A simple pair of socks is something all of us have, every single day. The giddy chatting and little whispers in the lines before it was their turn to be measured and the smiles when they were given their socks and fitted pair is something that I will never forget. The amount of excitement and happiness that came from a new pair of shoes has made me realize that every little thing we have is a blessing. 

After teaching for this whole week, I have noticed that most kids wear the exact same thing every day to school. You’ll see rips in their sweaters, dirt on their pants and sometimes even a hole in their shoe. But, there is always one thing that is constant and that is their genuine love and excitement to learn and play that day. The second we walk through the gate and down the stairs they are ready with their smiling faces and cute good mornings and high fives. This experience has really humbled me and made me realize how little you really need to be happy. It has taught me how important it is to be grateful for every single that you have and really how far simply loving and caring can go.