I was so excited!  It was finally my turn to shop for the class snacks for our daughter’s school.  Each kiddo has one week where they provide for their class’ snacks each day and also fresh flowers, which I adore.  They have little vases all around the room and they get to practice flower arranging.  Plus I was not aware whomever brings the snacks gets to designate a snack helper (a big deal when you’re four) and they are in charge of placing the snacks out each day for the week.  Our little one was so excited!  Ironically we started the year with no food allergies except a mild one to cinnamon.  In the past several weeks, as I have blogged, we have discovered she is gluten intolerant and cannot have dairy or eggs either.  And yet prior to this I can guarantee I would have looked over the allergy issues list and carefully shopped for ALL the children.  For instance, someone is allergic to peanuts so I simply would not have bought any peanut butter or anything else made where there are peanuts.  Other parents have not been as considerate and my child got sick THREE TIMES from eating cheese, dairy and gluten.  How is a four year old supposed to know there are eggs in brownies?!  So I have brought mine her own snacks and her teacher was sweet enough to make her a special basket that has her name on it.  My heart hurts at the thought of any child being left behind or singled out.  And now it is personal.  So we went to Whole Foods and we got “our” pretzels (which I defy ANYone to say they can tell any difference), gluten free applesauce, the Pirate’s Booty that does not have dairy, bananas, mandarin oranges, and hummus that says for sure that it is gluten free.  Not only was it not that hard, I felt great knowing EVERY child in that classroom would be safe eating the organic, allergy-free food I had provided.  And, best of all, mine would be serving “her” food that they could all eat and she would not be left out!  Oh how we forget what it was like to be little.  Our little problems are their big ones.  I cannot change every week for her but I am getting to change this one.  It will be a glorious week where my girl serves the same great food for all.  Pope Francis said:

“We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love.  Be poor among the poor.  We need to include the excluded and preach peace.”

My daughter already knew the importance of compassion.  Now she knows first hand what it is like to be on the other side; sadly a part of everyone’s life at some point.  But no one will be excluded on my watch:  personal or not.