September 18

When I picked up Isaac from school a few days ago, he told me he'd gotten an Eagle Ticket for following the teacher's directions when no one else in the class was paying attention. (It's a sort of reward system the school uses to encourage and award the development of positive character traits.) At the end of each week, the front office does a drawing and one kid from each grade level wins a little prize, and this week, they called Isaac's name.

So we went in right after the bell and he picked out the reward he wanted: a little junior police badge.

I'm proud of who he is. He's considerate and kind and patient, and he genuinely cares about other people. I'm thankful that he's been blessed with such a pure heart and that he pays attention to his conscience.

My kids know that we're not rewarded --other than feeling the satisfaction of knowing we're doing what God would have us do-- for doing the right thing most of the time, but it was a blessing to me to see his good effort recognized.