My favorite Christmas story of all times is Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, which I just learned is celebrating its 50th anniversary. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I really realized why it was I loved the movie so much. It is because of Rudolf. Rudolf, you see, is “that child”. Rudolf wasn’t just simply scared to lead Santa’s sleigh, Rudolf was beaten down, broken. He lacked confidence. Rudolf didn’t believe in himself. He had lost hope. Rudolf could have been me. I was once the child who was picked on, made fun of, and not successful at very much. The story of Rudolf has a grand ending. It is one that I hope I can write one day about me. Mrs. Bozard was my Santa and she made me believe I, too, could do anything. If you are anything like me, you’ve probably even taught some Rudolfs in your career. I know I have. One such Rudolf I had was Roger. Roger didn’t fit in with anyone. He struggled in every way imaginable-his parents were both drunks, he lived in pure squalor, he smelled bad many days, he had a terrible learning disability that caused him to be far below his grade level. One Christmas season my husband and I “adopted” Roger and his siblings. This was well before the days of kids and shopping for kids wasn’t stressful. It was fun. During school one morning, I snuck to Roger’s house and delivered his gifts to his mother. She asked if I would take them all back and give them the money because the power had just been turned off. She was, of course, already drunk, and it was 10am. I gave her the gifts and told her I would see what I could do but I wanted her kids to have presents on Christmas. The next day Roger came into school defeated. He cried most of that day and my heart was broken. He also made no mention of the gifts that should have been still beautifully wrapped underneath their unlit tree, but he made no mention of this. I assumed those gifts were now in a bottle. So, with the help of the district social worker, we were able to find funds to get their power turned back on. Still the entire Christmas break, I worried if Roger’s parents had sold his gifts and he would have nothing. I even found myself driving by his house a few times during break just hoping he would be outside in his new shoes. He never was. When we returned from break, there was Roger beaming from ear to ear and he couldn’t wait to show me his brand new “kicks” and his Gamecock sweatshirt (yes, even a die hard CU fan can buy a gamecock shirt). You honestly could feel his joy. At a football game a few weeks ago, I was waiting on the team to come out for the start of the game when I heard my name being called. I turned around and while I didn’t recognize him at first I suddenly realized it was Roger. We talked about his life and the fact that he was there to see the team play because his girlfriend’s son was on the team. He has a job working for a company that sprays electrical poles for kudzu. He has a few kids and a good life. His mom died a few years back and his dad was still in Spartanburg. His brother was in jail and his sister had been down a bad path but he was pulling her out of it and had her and her kids living with him. What happened next, stopped my heart. It was time to part ways and he gave me a huge hug. I wished him a Merry Christmas. When he hugged me he said, “I’ll never forget that Christmas when you gave us all those presents. I don’t ever forget and I always help somebody too.” I just watched him walk away and was once again reminded of the awesomeness of this job. Every so often I am reminded in the most incredible way of how much what we do matters...not just for a moment but for a lifetime... our lifetime and many others.
This past week was more than exciting for our students. The holiday anticipation is rampant, but I continually remembered that it is not always joyous for each child in our schools. Our schools and you are the safe haven that many of our students need. We provide consistency, love, understanding, medical care, patience, and even gifts. Some of you have Rudolfs, or Rogers, in your room. So while your stress level is at an all time high, please remember for some of our students, they are leaving a safe place where two meals are provided for them each day and they know they will be cared for. Don’t lose that spirit with them even in the midst of the stressfulness of our week. As you all know by now Mrs. Bozard saw my shiny red nose and knew I could do more than those around me thought I could– just like Santa did for Rudolf. So I ask you, who is your Rudolf?
No comments:
Post a Comment