BURRIED TREASURE

One January afternoon in the library office Titan, a 2nd grader, deliberated on which game to play. Aubrey walked up and as she peered through the window her pursed lips grew into a smile. She looked at Titan and said, “YOU! I know where your name badge is. It’s buried in the sand, by the volleyball net.”

(Rewind to the week before winter break when Titan was picked up in tears because he lost his name badge, a requirement for school with a pricey replacement fee. We searched and searched to no avail. Titan endured Christmas with no hope of ever seeing his name badge again.)

Aubrey continued to tell us how over the winter break she was playing outside FamilyPoint and found his badge. She knew he would be looking for it but did not want to have to keep up with it, so she buried it and marked it with an X. We followed her instructions, walked to the closest corner and started digging. The X had washed away in the rain. After digging and scratching the surface long enough for a crowd to form, we reach something plastic and flat. Excitement hurried our hands and a few seconds later Titan held his sand covered name badge in the air, astonished. Aubrey stood by with a glow of proud accomplishment.

This is the heart of FPR. She knew there were a lot of kids up here, she understood that he would want it back, and that the chances of him returning were high. She cared enough in that moment to devise a plan to benefit someone else, someone she did not know. This ingenuity and compassion is a treasure. It is hospitality in action.