An Angel In Disguise

One of my very favorite things that hangs on my dining room wall is this framed kid art, an essay that my son Jacob wrote when he was in the fourth grade.  It’s what he believed on March 2, 2005.  

Angel in Disguise by Jacob Gruener

    My mom is one of the most compassionate people on the planet.  She’s so caring, I think she’s an angel in disguise!  I love her because she is so nice and no matter how naughty the child is, she never loses her cool.  My mom is a counselor at Westwood Elementary and is so popular, if a kid sees her at H.E.B. or a restaurant, they can’t help saying, “Mrs. Gruener!” My mom is the person I most admire.

     As a counselor at Westwood, my mom builds a great reputation.  She is very kind and is loved by almost every student at Westwood and Bales.  She helps tons of kids with their problems and has established a program for kids to have better character.  If you see someone doing something above and beyond, you can write down their name and teacher on a card and every Friday she pulls two cards.  Whoever’s names are on those cards get to pick a prize from a table with lots of cool prizes.  Everyone gets so excited about that.

     Not only is my mom a great counselor, she’s also a phenomenal cook.  She makes the best meals and desserts.  I can’t think of any of my mom’s meals I don’t like.  I can’t think of any desserts, either.  Some of my favorite meals include Shepherd’s Pie, Little Meatloaf, Homemade Pizza, and Soup Soup, a soup with minestrone, beans, hamburger meat, tomato sauce and corn.  My mom would win any cooking contest without a doubt.

     My mom is a great counselor, a phenomenal cook, and the best mom in the world.  When I asked her to try and think of a job for me, she put her mind to it and made me meal helper with a salary of five to seven dollars a week.  I clip coupons, file them, help decide what to eat for the week, and help her shop for ingredients.  It’s as helpful to her as it is for me!  She helps me with problems, too.  She lets me stay up late sometimes and never criticizes me.  She’s a perfect mom.

     My mom is the apple of my eye.  She knows how to solve any problem or handle any task and she never brings anyone down.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, my mom is an angel in disguise and that’s why I admire her.

As Jacob sits at the computer composing his AP English III This I Believe essay this afternoon, I’m taken back to his words as a ten-year-old.  I wonder what my seventeen-year-old will write about what he believes today.  I can't wait to read it.