Small Acts of Love

Tales from Elementary Barnyard Day

Welcome to Walk & Talk, my monthly offering to share stories, inspiration, and hope. I’m Kim Knowle-Zeller, mama, pastor, and writer. I’ve lived in West Africa and one summer hiked 500 miles across Spain, and now I call Cole Camp, MO home with my husband, two children, dog, and cat. I love to walk, talk, and share stories. Thanks for being here!

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Today is Elementary Barnyard Day, the day the high school FFA shares their knowledge and love of animals, farming, and all things agricultural. I’m at school subbing in the elementary office for the secretary. From the desk, I can see the kids and their smiles as they hurry to and from Barnyard Day.  

One by one I watch classes pass the office to walk outside and take their tour petting rabbits and cows, feeling the furs of locally hunted animals, sitting on top of a horse saddle, and visiting the green house to purchase flowers. Today, students get a chance to buy flowers in the school greenhouse.

And then they come back to their classrooms — arms loaded with plants. 

A class of first graders, all in line, lug hanging baskets down the hallway. They are special gifts for family members and many of them leave behind a trail of leaves. Baskets of bright red petunias and hanging spider plants fill the arms of these first graders; I watch one stop and reshuffle the basket distributing the weight. Another child holds two baskets to his side. 

Later in the day a sixth grader comes and leaves a hanging basket for the principal with a hand-written note. I watch him write the note with such care, a smile of pride on his face. 

From the office I sit back and watch the gifts unfolding before me. I imagine the plants going home and being placed on porches and hanging from hooks in gardens. I can see parents, eyes-wide, wondering where they’ll make room for the bounty before them. 

I picture my own children’s gifts to me over the years: the laminated handmade bookmark with Isaac’s fingerprints as flower petals, rainbows and notes written by Charlotte: To the Best Mom in the World, a keychain of Charlotte’s hand, and a drawing of me during my morning quiet time by Isaac. 

It’s not necessarily the gift itself (although they are quite adorable) but it’s the care and attention to sharing love. It’s seeing how small gifts bring great joy. It’s cultivating generosity. 

With every flower, card, and drawing, I see the smiles of children proudly offering their gifts, a tiny bit of hope, for the ones they love. 

May the days ahead be filled with the offering and receiving of small acts of love.

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If you’re looking for a gift to celebrate the mother in your life, I’d be honored if you shared The Beauty of Motherhood: Grace-Filled Devotions for the Early Years with a mama in your life! I have signed copies I’d love to send to you for $20!

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What I’ve Read

• The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon: THIS BOOK! So many of my friends had read this one and recommended it highly. Admittedly, I was intimidated by the length, but finally started and couldn’t put it down. This is a book of historical fiction about a midwife set after the Revolutionary War, a mystery, and a strong female who I rooted for the entire book.

• Rom-Coms that hit all the right notes: Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center and The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers

• The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin: This was an audio book for me read by the author. Her book touches on many hard realities: addiction, the prison system, motherhood, restorative justice. Ultimately, it’s a memoir of hope and family.

• Middle grade books written in verse: Star Fish by Lisa Fipps, Red, White, & Whole by Rajani Larocca, Alone by Megan E. Freeman

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  Thanks for reading, friend. With so much vying for our attention these days, I’m grateful that you have taken the time to read my words. May these words meet you and inspire you to see the beauty before you.

  With gratitude,
  Kim