Love in the Library: The Purple Wristband

    Last Friday, LSA held their annual Miles for Mission where the kids get pledges for how many laps they will walk around the track and the money goes to 3 missions they learned about during Lutheran Schools Week. It's a fun, easy morning where we encourage the kids (marathon-style) and count their laps.
    This was Lanie's first run (although as a 2-year-old she was there but purely as a spectator) and she managed 5 laps around. I loved watching all those little legs run, then walk, then stop for water, then grab a teacher's hand and run again. I had one kid run a lap and then stop and say, "are we done?" I'm not so sure the whole concept was explained to him. Lydia was in a different group, and I marvel at how seriously she took this little mission. Instead of sidling up to a friend, talking and being silly, she really ran her 7 laps and told us she could have run another one if they hadn't blown the whistle. Elijah's class was with the bigger kids and you would have thought we were at the Boston marathon by the way they lined up, stretched and took off in a pack. Elijah was determined to beat his last year laps, and he did with 13 laps. He could run a 5k with us. Who knew?
    But here's the part that cracks me up the most. To count their laps, each child had to wear a paper wrist band and as they circled around, the volunteer marked it with a tally mark. This event took place last Friday, and Elijah still hasn't taken his purple wrist band off. Now, I shouldn't make fun. I remember as a young kid wearing my amusement park entry wrist bands for days and even saving them (because I saved everything) so maybe he gets it honestly. I don't know if he's just super proud of his 13 tally marks or secretly, maybe he wishes he had a purple bracelet. Whatever the reason, it's just fun to watch it slowly deteriorate.