a paragraph by Daniel, third grade:

Today I hung my Christmas ornaments on the Christmas tree. I have twenty six ornaments. Mom keeps them in a box for me. My favorite is an airplane.

Every year for Christmas I give each of the kids an ornament to add to their own collection that someday they can take for their very own Christmas tree in their own home. Added to that collection are other ornaments they have received as gifts and ornaments they have made through the years. For Christmas 2008, I gave Daniel an airplane ornament to remember his very first ride on an airplane. It was magical, very magical.

At school every week he is expected to write a paragraph of three or more sentences about any subject that he wants to write about. He pretty much always struggles with coming up with a topic…and then sentences. Sorry, but writing definitely does not come to him easily like math does for him! But this week, after hanging his ornaments on the tree, he had no trouble at all deciding what he wanted to write about.  Just like his first ride on an airplane, it was magical watching him write this paragraph. Almost as magical as it was to watch him admire and remember all twenty six ornaments that belong to him…magical! Almost as magical as he is.

Magical!

He is!