Beaming

I am beaming with pride tonight because Avery has surprised me with her generosity, hugely surprised. As we pulled into the driveway after school I grabbed the mail. In the mail was her birthday card from her great-great uncle Bill. A fifty dollar bill ALWAYS accompanies a birthday card from Uncle Bill. She was tallying in her head how much money she had from birthday and Christmas. It was $120 inlcuding this new gift of cash. I then told Avery and Reagan, very briefly and in simple terms about the recent earthquake in Haiti and how the people there were really poor to begin with and now they have nothing. I told her that it would be nice if she gave them some of her birthday money. At first she refused. Reagan volunteered to give some of her toys and I said that I was going to give them some of my money. Avery then decided to give me her fifty dollar bill. I asked her how much of it she would like to give them and she said, "All of it." without batting an eye. Avery is in first grade and she is very intelligent and a bit materialistic so she knows the value of a fifty. I am really proud of the compassion and generosity she showed me tonight. A sure sign that we are doing something right.