“Every day, I put a note under my little sister’s pillow from her favorite fairy, Astra,” my nine-year-old granddaughter whispers to me over FaceTime.  She’s grinning from ear to ear.  By the gleam in her eye, I can tell she really enjoys this little game.

“Really!?  And she doesn’t know it’s from you?  I would think she would recognize your handwriting,” I say to her.

“Grandmama, she’s only four and a half!  She doesn’t know yet that everyone has a different handwriting.  I’ve had to tell my brother (seven years old) about it though, because he could have figured it out.  I wanted him to encourage our little sister to believe it.  Even when it’s just my brother and me, I talk with him as if the letters really are from Astra-the fairy because I’m hoping he’ll eventually forget that they’re really from me.”

“You seem to be enjoying yourself. What made you decide to do this?” I ask. 

“Well, at first I just thought it would be fun.  But, Grandmama, if you could just see the joy that spreads across her face when she gets a letter from Astra!  I love to see that so I keep writing more letters!”

She assured me she knew it couldn’t go on forever, but not to worry, she has a plan.  She will send letters less frequently, every other day at first, then every few days, then weekly, then every other week, then monthly…  She had really thought this through.  I suspect she will probably forget long before the weaning process is complete, however.

Regardless, her sentiment took root in my heart.  Would that we all want to light up someone’s face with joy on a regular basis!  This act is really a win/win because both the giver and the receiver are blessed in the process.  I found my older granddaughter’s desire to intentionally please her little sister to be such an inspiration.  Her purity of heart was a gift.  It reminded me how precious acts of kindness are, and I vowed to be more alert to opportunities…not to send letters from a fairy, though, but to be more intentional about spreading joy, myself.  

~Zanne
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