The Story of the Stickman

The Story of the Stickman
I will never forget Thursday, November 18th. It was a day that Riley taught us to celebrate the victories
and focus on the blessings of our lives.
Since the beginning of the year, the teachers at Riley’s school had been trying to teach her to
independently pick up a marker and trace an object. On this particular day, the teacher had placed a
highlighted stickman picture on the table in front of her seat. She went to her workplace, picked up
the marker and traced the stickman…. with no assistance. The teachers were thrilled and immediately
praised her!
I happened to be at the school volunteering and within moments, I heard her teacher whizzing up the
stairs calling my name. She brought me her work and couldn’t wait to tell me what Riley had done. As
the teacher shared with me, I felt my emotions flood over me and I felt the tears of joy. WHAT A
SUCCESS! It clicked…and she knew what to do.
All of a sudden, Riley had put life in perspective again. This small victory was the only thing that
mattered at the time. Not only was I excited, but her teachers and all the other parent volunteers in
the room that day were also thrilled for us. We all celebrated together.
The story does not end there. I had the picture in the front seat of my car all day. Every time I glimpsed
at it, I smiled. When I picked up my oldest son, Reese (age 10), from school, he immediately saw it and
knew his sister had done something special. He picked it up and began talking to her about her
accomplishment. Riley lit up and she also knew she amazed us.
When we got home, Reese rushed inside and drew a stickman with a yellow highlighter and asked Riley
to trace it again. She picked up the marker and this time, she made her usual scribbles. Without
showing a trace of disappointment, Reese told her again how proud he was of her for tracing it earlier
that day at school and assured her that they would work on it later. When I looked at Reese, he smiled
and told me not to be disappointed that she couldn’t do it again, but to focus on her amazing
accomplishment earlier that day. In wonder, I realized that my daughter was teaching us all invaluable
lessons that we might have never had otherwise.
Riley gave us a special gift on Thursday, November 18th that we as a family will never forget. I
appreciate the way she continues to remind us what is truly important in life. She continues to put life
in perspective. She is such a truly blessing to us.