April 30

The fifth grade class at the boys' school graduated from the DARE program this evening, and Isaac was one of three students chosen to read essays they wrote about their experiences. So I watched proudly from my seat as he got up in front of his classmates --and a whole theater full of parents-- and did just that.

Although I enjoyed watching him in action, my favorite part of the evening came a little later, after the DARE officer presented each of the three speakers with medals and then introduced a secret special guest.

As soon as Isaac got a glimpse of the DARE mascot --a lion-- in the back of the auditorium, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. The smile persisted as the mascot made his way down the aisle and onto the stage, where he gave the kids high-fives.

I love that innocence so much. I know these days are rapidly coming to a close and that life will get significantly more serious for him in the years to come, but I'm happy that he's still sweet enough to get really excited over someone in a lion suit.