A Lesson to Learn… From a 7-Year-Old

britten

Gavin is a loyal lobster. A reader of the site since I can remember. He and I seem to have a lot in common. As a father of two little ones, I know how much I learn from my kids. My daughter is almost four, and my son is almost two. They teach me things every day. This past week, Gavin’s daughter taught me something. The card you see above is paired with the following story. As told by Gavin…

My wife and my 7-year-old daughter, Britten, were coming home from school Thursday when Britten saw a man on the street corner with a sign that said “Homeless but human”. With a heavy heart and tears in her eyes, she told my wife that she wanted to cash in her piggy bank and give it ALL to him. When I got home later that evening, she ran right up to me and told me about the man she had seen earlier and what she wanted to do. Knowing “B” and her compassion for all living things, I wasn’t too shocked (but still moved to tears).

The next morning was my Flex Day so I was able to drive her to school. As we are leaving the house, I looked down and noticed she was carrying her piggy bank. I asked why she was bringing it to school. She said she wanted the piggy bank to be in the car when she got out of school so that we could go straight to Vons and use the “coin machine” (Coinstar) and give the money to “the man without a home.”

My wife and youngest daughter picked her up from school later that day. As expected, we went straight to Vons. She cashed in $20! She put the money and the attached note (which my wife transcribed) in a bag and we drove to the intersection where the man had been. But there was no man. She was so upset that she cried! We went back three times that day, twice Saturday and twice Sunday. Each time he wasn’t there, she questioned his whereabouts and asked if I thought he was okay. I was beginning to think we were never going to see him again.

Last night when we were picking out her clothes for school she put the note and bag of money next to her shoes. She said that the money needed to be in the car just in case we found the man.

Finally, on the way home from school, they saw the man at the intersection. Britten gave him the money and the note. The exchange happened so fast because the light changed, but my wife could see the man was visibly moved by my daughter’s gesture.

Her generosity is endless and her heart is bigger than anyone I know. I’m so damn proud!

Thanks for “listening”!

We can all learn a lot from Britten. Kid made me cry. God bless her.

-bp

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