Teresa's First Communion

I know I complained just last week how this girl drives me to drink. (Well, they all drive me to drink.) But here she is looking all holy and innocent in her beautiful white dress and sweet face. Even though she can turn me into a screaming meanie with a roll of those big brown eyes, I watched her make her First Holy Communion with so much pride and joy. She and I differed on how to wear her hair and she insisted on clasping her hands when I wanted her to put them together as if she were praying but you know, all that didn't matter. In the end, I watched her through teary eyes walk up to our priest and take Communion for the very first time. As an aside, when she tasted the wine at practice, she came back to me and said, quite loudly, "That was GOOD!" Oh boy...her teen years are going to be so much fun.

I found out after the Mass she was chosen to be partner to a boy in her class who has some special needs. Her teachers told me they specifically chose her because of her kindness to all the children and this boy in particular. They chose her because she takes his differences in stride and while making considerations for those differences still treats him like any other child. My heart nearly burst with love and pride for this girl. She may test me and my patience as often as she can, but like all the discussion (and that's putting it nicely) over her hair and her hands, it doesn't matter. She is a good person through and through and out in the world she quietly goes about demonstrating kindness and love and in the end, that's what's really important.