Gifts Our Students Give Us

I know it's one day early, but tomorrow is Memoir Monday, a strategy I want to borrow from one of my favorite blogs, Two Writing Teachers. Each Monday, we write a brief memoir and share on our blog. So, I've been meaning to write about the fabulous crab dinner I had with my family in August while we were on vacation. One of my students last year, Tyler, crabs and fishes with his father. His family owns a great vegetable and seafood market down county. Tyler and his family wanted to bless with me a bushel of crabs for working with him last year. I asked if I could wait and get the bushel in August when I knew my family would be at the beach. Not only did Tyler give me a bushel of just caught crabs that morning; he picked out the prettiest, biggest Jimmys I've ever seen. He also hand-delivered them to my home. It is absolutely the BEST gift I've ever received from a student. I just cannot believe the generosity, and I can tell you that whenever I look at these pictures, I'm blessed all over again. After my brother John Murphy and my mom cleaned them, John and his new friend Tricia steamed them for us. John and Tricia demonstrated the best way to get the white chunks of meat out of the legs. My family and friends picked crabs all night long. I think Lee and I were the last two at the table picking and eating. Thank you, Rose Family, for a wonderful gift!