My little caretaker

I'm so very lucky.  My daughter is one of the most thoughtful, kind little people on the Earth.  Honestly.  Her kind heart is WAAAAAYYY bigger than mine.  I just wanted to document a bit about her as she was such a helper to me last week.

Two days before our school's Christmas break was to begin, I came down with a nasty virus.  I had a decently high fever and felt basically like poo.  But since it was two days before break, I honestly couldn't take the time off--too much to do with my students!  (I know I probably shouldn't have been there, but I sanitized my fool head off the entire time and made sure to not breathe on them!)  So I waded through the two days, doped up on Advil to make the fever symptoms abate.  But by the time we got home each night, I was a shivering, shaking, achy mess.  Kendra would snatch the keys from my hands, run in the house ahead of me, plug in her heater throw blanket for me, grab my pillow and get me all set up to shake out the fever on the couch.  I dozed in and out, while Kendra kept checking on me (she learned a new thing--to check for fever with a kiss on the forehead :-) ).  One time I woke up and she presented me with two boxes...hot chocolate and peppermint tea, and asked which one she could make for me.  Another time I woke to hear her in the kitchen.  I asked her what she was doing.  Well, she had signed up to bring a fruit tray for her class party the next day and I had purchased a fresh pineapple for that.  She was cutting up the pineapple so I wouldn't have to do it!  I was thankful and also a bit surprised...I guess she'd watched me do it enough, because she did a fantastic job!!!

I've known since Kendra was tiny that she was a very empathetic person---she hates seeing people hurting, sick,  or sad.  When she was an itty-bitty baby she showed this---as early as 5 or 6 months of age, if she heard another baby cry, her forehead would wrinkle all up and she had this look of great concern on her face. She continues to show empathy all the time...she's the champion for the under-dog, the one first to the scene of a hurt friend.  If she did one of those strengths-finder tests, I'm certain empathy would be her top strength.

My friends, the Ballards, called to check on me over the weekend and Sherry offered to take Kendra so I could rest.  I told her I didn't want her to take her---she helps me too much when I'm sick!  I'm so very thankful for my little helper.  She is an amazing gift from God!!!