I am beyond happy to be a Lulu to my sweet Levi! We have such fun together and I love to make his wishes come true….within reason, of course.
He had stayed with me one Friday while he was sick and had to be out of school. We rested and did a few fun things and watched some cartoons and just had a sweet day. So, it was in this frame of mind, that I heard his latest request.
Levi, “Lulu, can you make banana bread?
Lulu…..”Yes, I have made banana bread before. Would you like me to make you some?
Levi……”Well, yes, I would. But, I would like you to make enough so I can take it to share with my friends at school, too. And, the other first grade teachers too!”
Lulu…..”Well, that’s a lot of banana bread, Levi!
Levi…..”But, you can do, can’t you, Lulu?”
Lulu….”Yes, Little Man, I will do that for you.”
Levi…..”Can we make it right now?”
Lulu…..Well, first I’ll have to buy some bananas and let them get really ripe. Then we can make it.”
And, that’s what I did. I bought bananas and set them on the cabinet to ripen. Every morning when he came to the house before school, he would ask if they were ready yet. Then Suzanne bought me a big bag of bananas from school. So we had plenty of very ripe bananas now!
Yesterday, I gathered all the supplies and made 4 loaves of banana bread! UMMM! It smelled so good! I called Levi and told him I had it ready. Since Suzanne was taking him to school today, she came by to pick it up to take to school when she went. By the time they got here, I had cut into one loaf to make sure it was edible! Oh! And it was! Suzanne loved it, Don loved it and I loved it. Levi took a bite. He didn’t say anything. He put it down and went on about his business. Strange, I thought.
Well, I wrapped it all up and got it ready for Suzanne to take.
Levi….”Thank you, Lulu. I am going to share it with my friends tomorrow. And the other teachers in first grade.”
When I went back inside, I saw the piece I had cut for him…uneaten. Hmmmm.
I may or may not have eaten it…since it was already cut and all.
Later on that evening, Suzanne called me and she told me again how good the bread was. Then she said, “But, Levi was not too fond of it.”
Lulu…..”Well, I thought he liked banana nut bread…isn’t that why he asked me to make him some?”
She asked him if he liked it and he said he liked it just a little bit.
Lulu…”Levi, why did you ask me to make it if you did not even know if you liked it?”
Levi….”Well, see…I was watching Mickey Mouse Club and Mickey and his friends were going somewhere. So they asked Clarabelle the Cow to make them some banana bread to take with them to share with their friends! And, I thought that was a good idea!”
Lulu…”Let me get this straight…you never tasted banana nut bread before…but since Clarabelle made some for Mickey and his friends to share…you thought I should make some for you to share.”
Levi…”Right!” ” I just thought it sounded like a nice thing to do.”
(Oh, my, does he think of his Lulu when he sees Clarabelle the Cow? No. Surely not!)
UPDATE…Today…
This morning when Levi came I asked him about the banana bread.
Levi…..It was great, Lulu. I got to be the waiter and give it to my friends. Then I got to take Mrs. Mann and Mrs. Mayes some…and Mrs. Jones.”
Lulu…..”What about Mrs. Brown?
Levi…..”Well, she got her own piece!”
Lulu….”Did your friends like it?”
Levi…..Well, Cal and Winston sure did! They wanted another piece! But, Grayson said he did not like it. I whispered to him, ‘That’s OK…I don’t like it either!”
And, so the banana bread story ends. Isn’t it funny how we think we are doing things for one reason and it turns out that we did it for something entirely different?
You never know where and when inspiration will strike. Levi had a great idea…even if it did come from a cartoon. He seized on that thought and applied it to his little world. That makes me very happy. How thoughtful it was for him to carry that idea on to the next step. I pray his heart is always attuned to making others happy and finding ways to bless his friends. I wonder if we are as in touch when God whispers in our ear a way in which we can be a blessing!
However…before I bake anything for him again…I’ll make sure he knows what it is I’m making!
This is absolutely the most precious story, Tonja!! But I admit I laughed right out loud when you hoped he does not think of you when he sees Clarabelle the cow!!! You are a hoot!
such a nice post