“A heart never forgets.” 

I’m not sure where I heard that before. I’m sure it isn’t original.  🙂

That came home to me this morning as I thought about my day yesterday. For the past 7 years, I have been reading once a month to the Kindergarten class at one of our local elementary schools. It started out with the United Way looking for men who would read in their Real Men Read program. I thought it sounded like fun. I love to read and if I could help one child develop a love for reading, and their imagination at the same time, count me in! Little did I know how it would morph. After the first two years, COVID hit. You know the deal on that. But I talked to the Kindergarten teacher and we worked it so we could go outside when the weather was good (chilly but good) and I could read without a mask when I came inside. (Can I tell you how badly I hated masks?) Anyway, for a year I continued to read to new kids. 4 years ago that teacher left and my daughter, Tami, became the teacher of that class. I wanted to expand the program so I talked to several people and in time our new Curriculum Director was able to secure a Title I grant. We now call it Book Buddies. That allowed us to also purchase books for the students to take home. I read=they take their own copy of that book home. This year our local Community Foundation paid for the books. (Thank you OCCF!) That first year I read to 7 classes in 3 different elementary schools. I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT! Starting three years ago, the husband of one of the teachers reads to her class; the church’s Youth Pastor reads to 3 classes in another; and I read to 5 classes in 2 different schools. Yesterday, Jo & I delivered books to the school where the teacher’s husband reads. I confess I had an ulterior motive. The principal of the school is involved in the church. We have twins from the church in the K class, and their sister, whom I read to, is now in 3rd grade. Plus, the new teacher of the 3rd grade class lived across from us when she was growing up in Terre Haute!

Of course, Ashley has changed. Jo and I have also. It took her a moment to recognize us. (Her mind has aged but we haven’t). 🙂 I found out her mom is in a home for Alzheimer’s patients in a city not too far from where we live. So Jo and I plan to visit her within the next couple of weeks and then take Ashley out for lunch afterwards. Her mom and Jo were friends. She attended the church I pastored in Terre Haute. We moved away in 2000 and have not seen her since. 

But Ashley? Yeah, fond memories of a little red-haired girl who used to visit and whom our daughters used to babysit. “The heart never forgets.”