My daughter is away at my parents' house, so she missed the event here at home. Though she loves spending a week with her grandparents, every summer, I think she was a bit forlorn about missing this Independence Day celebration.
That sets the scene for this post.
One of the girls, just slightly older than our daughter, brought her tablet computer with her. As I understand it, her mother questioned her decision to bring it along, wishing instead for her to socialize (fellowship) with her peers and enjoy the fireworks.
But this girl had a plan.
Pointing the tablet at me, she told me to say hi to my daughter. It seems, with four hours of highway between us, they were video chatting. They might have had an interruption or two, but when the fireworks extended until 10:00, they were still connected, so that my daughter did not have to miss very much of the event at all.
In fact, my daughter should be honored that her friend thought enough of her to suggest the connection. This kind of compassion is rare in our world, and it struck me as one of the nicest gestures I've seen from kid to kid in a long time. We talk about getting kids to respect adults, but even harder than that is getting them to respect each other.
Through all the noise of explosions in the sky above Joplin, the thoughtful consideration of one young lady screams loudly that kindness still exists. I truly appreciate the time and effort she took to ensure my daughter felt included.