When it comes to gifts, we often say it’s the thought that counts. While this can be said humorously at times, Heather Benoit is here to remind us of the truth behind this sentiment. Over a decade ago, this teacher was given a crayon by one of her students. This may seem random or silly, but the reason behind it couldn’t be more heartwarming. At the time, it was Heather’s last Christmas as a classroom teacher.
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In turn, students and their parents surprised her with lots of presents. One little kid, who didn’t have a present to give, took note of this. Still, he tried to think of a way that he, too, could show his teacher how much he cares about her. Knowing that her favorite color is purple, he presented Heather with a box from an already opened gift. Inside was a single, purple crayon.
“Purple is my favorite color. He knew that. He paid attention to what I said,” Heather captions her photo of the crayon. “He didn’t have much to give in his eyes but he gave me so much more than a purple crayon. He gave me love. He gave me his heart. He gave me a kind gesture.”
After a Decade, a Single Crayon Still Means the World to This Teacher
It’s been over a decade since Heather was given this crayon. Still, you’ll find it with her as she works at the Wallace Community Center. Here, she still works with youth, many of which she says face a variety of hardships.
“And I often like to show them [the crayon] to show that you don’t have to take money to create something or you don’t have to spend all this money to show somebody that you appreciate them,” Heather shares. “Just having this, I think, is keeping them reminded, as well as myself, that just the thought goes such a long way.”
This crayon has been so impactful that Heather plans to write a book about it called The Giving Crayon. With it, she hopes to “show the importance of simple gestures and … giving back and shedding light and hope and positivity”
Although she hasn’t spoken to the kind student who gave her the crayon in years, she hopes he’ll come across her story.
“I think it was very important for me to take that time to just even let him know that I do still have it, even if he might not remember it as much because he was a young boy,” she says. “It really shows you that just showing gratitude and taking the time to show that you’re thinking about someone in the simplest form is what people really need.”
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