“Oh, Mommy, I love these cereal,” Jessa mushed. “Are all these new cereal for us?”
“Nope. These are for the food drive at church,” I replied.
“It’s already time for it?” she questioned.
“Not yet,” I explained. “They were on sale. I got these cereal so we could start saving them.”
“Mmmm, they really look good. Are they ones I can eat?”
“Let me check the ingredients,” I answered reluctantly.
As I scanned the ingredients panel, I realized that none of Jessa’s allergens were listed. But my mind was also whirling. Should I tell her she couldn’t have the cereal or just add them to the pantry for her to enjoy later. The food drive is months away and I had plenty of time to catch more sales.
“You know, Jessa. There is nothing bad in these that you can’t have. But these cereal are not for us. We’re gonna save these for kids who don’t have cereal to eat at home. I’ll keep buying more and we’ll have a lot of them to give away.”
I watched her face go from slight disappointment to understanding. “Yeah, she said. That will be good.”
And this is how simple acts of heroism start. No, we will not be resolving the hunger crisis by donating cereal at our church’s annual food drive. But we will be making a difference in our community; showing up for children that we will never know. I loved this teachable moment that demonstrated to Jessa how to be there for someone even if it might be a little inconvenient for you.
Last week, I started a four-part series exploring what it means to be an everyday hero. In our culture, heroes are often acknowledged as people who do big, out-of-the-ordinary things. In my mind, heroism is about being there to help those who need it. Big deeds or small ones.
It’s a lesson that is never too early to impart. This summer, while the adults sat in “big church” learning about everyday heroes, the girls learned the same lesson at their own level. There was even a comic book with lessons about doing the right thing and how you can show up to save the day.
If we continue having these everyday hero conversations enough, good seeds will be planted and flourish. Our children will grow up knowing that they have the ability to change things and make a big difference for someone else.
Even with something as simple as a box of cereal.
