I love my job.

Thursday afternoon I was at work, in the gym with the two year olds, when a little boy (I'll call him "J") came running up to me with his shopping cart. He handed me some "milk" and told me I should drink it because it's good for me. I said okay, but milk makes my tummy hurt. He looked at me like that couldn't be possible and said, "Just drink it through a straw, then it won't make your tummy hurt. It's good for you. Drink it!" And then he ran off. Okay, thanks J :)

Then when I was leaving for the day he gave me a big hug. J was close to my face and said, "What are those spots you got on your face?" I told him they were freckles and he quickly responded by telling me that he didn't like freckles. I laughed and he said, "J has freckles??" and I said, "No, just Emily has freckles. Maybe you'll have them when you are older." He said, "Yeah, when I get big I'll have freckles. But I still won't like them."

J's mom emailed me earlier in the day and thanked me for caring for her boys the way that I do. She told me that she's watched me grow into such a leader the past few years since I started working at NQACC and that her and her husband were thrilled to find out I'd be spending more time in her son's classroom this year. She definitely did not have to send me this email or tell me these thoughts, but I so appreciated hearing her words of kindness. Knowing that parents appreciate the work that we do with their children makes it all worth it. The hugs and love we get from the kids is enough to keep me going for awhile, but that reassurance from their parents and other adults really tells me that I'm doing something right. I know that this is where I'm supposed to be at this stage of my life. Thank you Jesus for giving me this opportunity to be with these children every week.