Sarah sat in the audience watching the commencement proceedings and waiting till it was Madeline's turn at the podium. Her mind wandered to when Madie was just a little girl as the guest speaker faded into background noise.
She had been working in her home office when Madie walked in sobbing. "What's the matter Madie?", she had asked. The little girl looked up at her mother with tears running down her cheeks. "Boopo is broken. His stuffing is coming out." The five year old held the doll up so that she could see the tear in the bears leg. She closed her laptop and spoke to Madie. "He's not broken baby. He just needs to be healed. Would you like to be the doctor for him?" Madie looked up at her quizzically and said yes, her crying subsiding. Sarah ran upstairs to grab one of her husbands shirts for Madie to wear as a doctor coat, then she went back downstairs and grabbed the sewing kit from the laundry room. She put the shirt on Madie and then gave her instructions. "I will be your nurse, OK? First you have to make your patient comfortable. Lie him down on the desk." Madie laid Boopo on an open space on the large wooden desk. "Now what do I do?" asked the little girl. Her mother smiled at her. "Now you must get your doctor tools ready to make Boopo well again. Her mother took a needle out of the sewing kit and threaded it for Madie. She showed her how to stitch the bear and tie of the end. The 'surgery took about a half hour. When they were finished Madie looked up at her mom and said, "It made me feel good to make Boopo better mommy. Thank you for helping me." There was a moments pause then she said, " When I grow up I'm going to be a doctor so I can help people feel better." Sarah just smiled and told her she could do anything she wanted. The little girl grabbed the bear off the desk and went back to her playtime.
Sarah was drawn out of her daydream to the thunderous applause for the guest speaker. When the commotion dwindled the Master Of Ceremonies announced the Valedictorian. It was Madie. Sarah and her husband couldn't hold back the tears of pride in their eyes as their little girl took the podium. Madie began her speech, "I remember when I was a little girl and my mom assisted me in my first surgery on my little blue bear Boopo......".
When you become a parent everything you do in life will be a lesson for your children. Teach them well and influence them positively with love and guidance. Thank you for taking the time to read this story. Bless you all.
