Lifeprints

Fingerprints are an IMPRESSION left behind. It’s a MARK made. Fingerprints are a way to identify who we are….however they don’t identify the moments or the memories that helped create who we have become. Just like our fingerprints, we leave marks and impressions everywhere we go. I’m determined these are called lifeprints. A lifeprint is the IMPRESSION or the MARK you leave behind on the people you touch….or the prints that someone leaves on you when they’ve touched your life in a significant way. (This qualifies to be put in Webster Dictionary now, right)? Today, I had a lifeprint moment. A moment where a student, who I’ve had the privilege of teaching for two years as a Kindergartener and as a second grader, came up to me with a gift. As always, I’m all set for a celebration so with great excitement I begin to open the gift. Inside the bag was a beautiful handmade name board in the shape of a pencil. I paused to soak it all in and as I did ….I heard a voice with such excitement say… “There’s more!“. As I pulled tissue paper out, there were Werther‘s coffee and caramel candies. For a brief moment I realized I hadn’t eaten these for two years….the last time was in my kindergarten classroom. Without hesitation he made the statement, “Mrs. Cochran.…. Do you remember in kindergarten when you used to share these with us? Do you remember it was during our story time?“.

In that moment I realized that something small and what seemed so insignificant had made such a HUGE impact.A moment tied to a memory. A moment full of so much sweetness. It made such an impact that the student remembered it was my favorite candy in that moment in time. So as we walk through life, remember…. no matter how big or how how small we might think our interaction with others might be or the situation at hand, we are leaving lifeprints behind on everything and everyone we touch.

Live BIG. Live LOUD. Leave a LIFEPRINT.

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