A perfect detail

“It wasn’t easy facing my class of kindergartners a week after my sister passed away, but because she’d been a teacher too, I knew that there was no better place to honor her memory than helping my students. She’d loved kids and always believed they had a special ability to see into the heart of things, even when grown-ups couldn’t.

“That afternoon, I had my class draw something that made them happy. While they worked, I found myself using my own box of crayons to draw me and my sister holding hands. Just then, Colton Gray, a shy boy in my class, came up to show me his drawing of his cat. I started to praise his work when all of a sudden, I found him staring at my drawing, asking if he could add something to it. As I nodded, he chose a yellow crayon, drew a halo over my sister and then used red to draw smiles on both our faces. “‘She’s your angel,’ he said, beaming at me. “I gulped in awe. He had no idea she’d passed away…but suddenly, a rush of goose bumps feathered over my skin. Colton was right: My sister would always be my angel, smiling right by my side.”