Rocks and holiday traditions

Tuesdays I volunteer to read aloud for the students in Bella’s class, many of whom are immigrants still struggling to master English. I talked about gifts and told them the gift I always wish for is a beautiful rock. “You don’t have to spend money to find a great rock.” I explained, “You don’t have to go to a shopping center. You can find a beautiful rock on the playground or in a park, and there are different kinds of rocks!”  I took the book NannaK sent me, If You Find a Rock, by Peggy Christian, photographs by Barbara Hirsch Lember. It talks about skipping rocks, chalk rocks, wishing rocks, climbing rocks, worry rocks, and even fossil rocks, and I paused along the way to ask who has seen a rock like this? (Hands waving, faces smiling.) When we finished the story I produced a tray full of rocks and let them each choose one to take home. Everyone found one they wanted, and one little girl told me, “I’m going to give this one to my mother for Christmas.” Success.

Then I took Bella home, where they showed me their tree full of ornaments, including one their Papa made when he was in kindergarten, one we brought back from Lesotho, and some they have made themselves. Cristina sent me home with some vegetarian tamales and pineapple dessert tamales she just made today. A thoroughly fine day.