Valued, Appreciated, Surprised...

I must confess that I borrowed this graphic from edutopia.  It perfectly describes how I felt today after speaking to one of my students' parents in the car line.  She got out of the car, brought me an ice cold ginger ale (my favorite), and began to tell me how much she appreciates what I've done for her daughter this year.  In tears, she told me that she is having surgery tomorrow, so it would probably be the last time I saw her.  She said she would most likely miss graduation on Thursday, but she wanted me to know how much she appreciates me.  Wow!  It is very rare that I hear comments like this in the area where I teach.  I was blown away.  It was really heartwarming to hear, and you better believe I gave that lady a hug!  One little comment can make several not so smooth weeks worth it!  The power of words!