Carpool

I work in a school system that does not use public buses.
Half of the students carpool while the other half walk
home or meet their parents somewhere besides school.

One of those students that walks home
everyday was in my class last year.
He was that little boy that gave me a huge hug
and would look at me with his bright blue eyes and
freckled face every morning.

He never called me Mrs. Jacobs,
it was always, "no mam," or "yes mam."
Not only does he have manners that would
make every mother proud, but he is one
all-star athlete.

He always pretended like he was pitching a baseball as
he held a book in one hand and swung
the other with a make believe ball.

He stuttered his feet as if he were making a route
on the football field every time he lined up
to leave our class.

This sweet little boy was rushing to meet his mom
after school yesterday to show his mom something
he had gotten at school.

As he was rushing to her window he
ran in front of an oncoming car.

He was hit by the car and he could have been killed,
but God decided it wasn't his time.

His first words after surgery and a few
hours of sleep, "Mom it feels like
Christmas!" Tired, exhausted, worn-out
mom replies, "What do you mean sweetie?"
"My bones are going to heal and I'm going
to be okay."

I'm not a mother yet and I can't imagine
the helplessness she must have felt after watching her child
get hit by a car just a few feet away,
but I know that comment gave this mother hope and peace
that everything is going to be alright.

God is good. Not sure what we would have
all done if this ended differently. I realized
after this accident, that I don't have old
students. Once a child is your student
they are always your student.