Full Hearts

'Tis the season for all things excessive and unsettling. Wild-eyed shoppers scurry around on Black Friday, hoping to score the perfect gift at the perfect price. Beleaguered cooks trudge behind squeaky grocery carts, picking up enough items to feed the masses. Worried grandparents peruse wish lists, praying the selected gifts will forever please the grand recipients. Guilt-ridden hosts and hostesses absorb Pinterest suggestions as if their very salvation is dependent upon such things. And Amazon smiles all the way to the bank.

Despite our tendency to gravitate toward shiny objects of desire, there is still goodness to be found. Teaching in a middle school affords me the opportunity to peer into the worlds of my students. Most afternoons, after the final bell rings, a gaggle of students rendezvous in my room. They chatter amongst themselves about school, music, friends and all things teenage. They allow me to eavesdrop on their conversations, providing me with greater insight into their lives.

Luis is often one of the group members. He is round-faced with a pair of glasses perched upon his chubby cheeks. He has a kind heart and loves to show his appreciation by sharing a quick hug and a thank-you. At the start of football season, he told the group that his family didn't have enough money to purchase the kind of shoes he needed for the games. The other group members nodded their heads in commiseration with Luis. They know all about trade-offs and what it means to go without. They don't wear the newest clothes or carry the latest smartphones. They walk home rather than wait for big SUVs to pull up and give them rides. They don't spend time at a lake cabin in the summer and they certainly don't take a week off school in the winter for a trip to Turks and Caicos. By the standards of some, they are not part of the cool crowd.

If we are perfectly honest with ourselves, we probably all have times when we yearn for a membership in the cool club. Marketers know all about this. Pop-up ads remind us of the new jacket that could be ours with a click of a button. Fitbits are replaced by smartwatches. Jeans go from bootcut to skinny to faded to ripped, depending on the year. Spinach loses out to kale and chip dip slides over for hummus. The voices in our head scream, "Not enough, not enough."

When the group asked him what he was going to do about the shoe problem he told them that it had already been taken care of. He said, "My dad sold his music CDs so he could get some money to buy me new shoes." And then he proudly stated, "And that's how I know my dad loves me."

Perfect gifts, meals and decorations be damned. All it really takes is someone who cares.