This Girl

a Christmas-time selfie I took off her camera

I think I’ve mentioned before that I don’t save everything my children bring home. If I did we would live in a sea of all different sizes and shapes of paper. While I love to see their scribbles, I can’t justify keeping all of them. We have a wall in our kitchen where we’ll put up their artwork and every now and then I have a little purge. If it’s an absolute favorite I keep it up. If' its something I know they worked hard on or if it’s seasonal I’ll save it. And then the rest disappears.

Like I said I do pick favorites. And those I can’t bring myself take down.

MT brought home one such favorite a few weeks ago.

“I have a helpful heart, I like my lips”

There’s so much I love about this self portrait and caption.

I love that she added earrings. Especially since she doesn’t yet have her ears pierced.

I love the big lips and big heart.

I figured that she had been guided on what to write by a teacher or aide. When I asked her about it she told me she was coloring during (inside) recess and one of the aids had suggested she draw a picture of her favorite thing about herself.

She came up with the “helpful heart” and “like my lips” all on her own.

When I learned that I felt that “heart swelling” that comes sometimes as a mother. This girl does have a helpful heart. She doesn’t always come across that way. She sometimes struggles with knowing the right time for helping and knowing how to help. But I love that she knows that she has such a special heart.

And I love that she likes her lips.