The holidays can certainly be a tough time for families who have recently lost loved ones. It's a time when many families experience emptiness. Nolan Elementary School third-grade teacher Becky Lear wants her students to be open about a family loss or tragedy. She encourages her students to listen closely if someone is hurting. She talks about always reaching out to comfort a classmate with either a smile or a handwritten note. Becky, and her husband, Mike, lost their daughter, Karrah, to pancreatic cancer. In her daughter's memory, a Buddy Bench has been placed on the school playground. It's for kids who are sad inside and need someone to come and sit with them to offer support and friendship.
What a gift to the school from faculty and students who wanted to show their love to Becky and her family. This has certainly been a tough year for everyone. Perhaps we all need a Buddy Bench in our lives to realize that people don't have to be alone when they are hurting.
A parent at Nolan Elementary School