365 Days Of Love. Day 3

In third grade, I was part of a club, the cowboys club. My friends and I had coaxed our parents into buying us starter jackets with our favorite football team's logo on them. Most of us were sworn to marry Troy Aikman one day so it was natural for us to bear the blue and gray. At recess, we would run around making fun of the other girls who weren't in our club. We deliberately excluded them and soon deemed that they were the rainbow bright club, due to their multi-colored winter coats. This doesn't sound like love. At all.

Love came as soon as my teacher caught word of our little clan....

I still remember my sweet teacher seemingly taken over by the wrath of God as she told my cronies and I, "What you are doing is creating a cult, your actions are hurtful and they can lead to very dangerous things." I felt more remorse in those 5 minutes than I have my entire life.

Later that year, we had to do reports on presidents, I was given Nixon. I asked my teacher if she gave me Nixon because I was naughty like Nixon. Through her chuckles, she explained that my conclusion was absolutely wrong. I'm not sure if she detailed it or not, but I know in that moment, I felt forgiven.

Beyond teaching me two incredible life lessons, lessons that I try to instill in my students today, my teacher has invested in me as a person. Every single time I've been in the newspaper, she has sent the clipping to my house with a note about how proud she is of me. When I graduate high school, she sent every single person in my third grade class a video of us as wee little 8 year olds. It's as if she didn't have kids of her own, a husband, and ranch to tend to. I can't fathom her generosity.

My third grade teacher taught me that love is inclusion, love is forgiveness, love is investment.

Love is generous.