9 O'Clock on Saturday Mornings ... Day 18

Maya, Maya, do you know how much I miss you? I miss you slipping in at the side door and saying, "Good morning, Miss Karyn!" right off the bat. I miss the way you would tell me the best thing that happened to you that week at school. I miss hearing about your sleepovers and friends and sisters.

You were such a conscientious worker, checking all the sugar spoons and bowls and wheelbarrows to make sure they were clean; checking the bathrooms to make sure they had supplies; making sure the entry way and the bookcase and the piano were all tidy and the lamps were on. And through it all you would chat to me and I got to see the young lady that was emerging from the little girl who had first started to work at the TH two years earlier.

I loved how you were willing to step out with the TH staff for our Christmas events. I was so proud of you when we went to the Casbah Restaurant and you bravely tried everything that was served. And then you sat through the whole of Handel's Messiah at the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra even though it was way past your bedtime. You were just nine years old at the time ...








Last year when you and your Dad managed to come to Dickens' Christmas Carol for our TH Christmas Event I was thrilled to see how you dressed so beautifully for the occasion, and how your whole face was lit up with stars in your eyes at the end of the play as you confided that your favourite part was where the tea pot and cups kept dancing around  just out of reach of Scrooge ...

I am so glad we got to have our own Event together while Elliot and Oliver were in Israel. It was the highlight of my week! It showed me how much maturity you had - you chose the restaurant, you knew what you wanted to eat, and you had perfect table manners and conversation.

In the car, ready to go to Red Deer

The funniest thing of all, of course, was when you chose the steak and lobster entrée. "Grownups always talk about steak and lobster and I've never had it so I want to see what it is!" You were 10 ...

Steak and lobster!

The Chapters part of the Event ...

I can't believe you are 11. I hope you have settled in to your new home and new school. I hope that you are happy and that you have found somewhere to be of service in your new community.

On the drive home ...

Because that's what you did at the TH, you know. Sure, it was your job; but you did your duties with a cheerful and willing heart and that's what God looks at and when He sees that He brings His blessing to the person and to the place that the person is working. I have no doubt at all that God blessed kids that came into the TH because of how you carefully cleaned their area and put away books and toys and made sure their chairs were in the right place. I know Ed was blessed when you would say good morning to him the times he got there before you had left. (You also developed your social skills in talking with the people who would pop by to visit while just you and I were working - you learnt how to look them in the eye, say good morning, and chat with them. You are a natural!!)

Most of all, you were a great blessing to me. I loved to hear about how you sang in the choir or how you were in a play or skit. I loved to see how you love God.

I pray for you often and know that we will always be connected even if we don't see each other or chat very often.

And if you ever need a reference letter ...