April 14, 2022
With a one-year-old in daycare, I’ve joined the club of parents who receive daily works of art by their children. I know that some of Freddie’s masterpieces will someday be fridge-worthy, but I also know that my husband’s disdain for clutter will mean that many things will make their way to the recycle bin. I have always loved student artwork. I envy their carefree approach to creating, and love the message and pride that comes with them gifting one of their pieces of art to someone special.
It was such a poignant reminder of the community ripple effect. In planning these local service projects, we rarely get to know, see, or hear of the effect they have had on others. I highly doubt that a second grader was painting a bird last fall thinking, “I really hope this becomes special for an elderly man and his wife.” While gifts, donations, or acts of service are always intended to bring joy or comfort, we never truly know the effects that our offerings will have on others. We’ve likely heard the saying, yet we often forget that something we may have put in our recycle bin might, in fact, be another person’s treasure.