Heart Treasures

I want to share a very special e-mail I received this week. Here it is, unedited:

Subject: Suzanne Hadley!!!!

Thank you for reading and sending me the messages about all of the questions I ask. You also do a good job by writing the stories. I always look to see who it is by and it is normally you who wrote it. It is very nice of you to do this and I liked the story that you wrote about the story "Never Alone." I liked how you wrote it about somebody who is supporting a child in Russia and that it is also cool to see that he goes over there to see her and not just giving her the money and not knowing who this is coming for and what it is coming for. I really enjoy the things that you write. Keep it up! You are a great writer and I would like to see you write some more stories! Thank you for reading this and you can reply if you want to but you do not have to because I bet you have a LOT OF OTHER THINGS TO WRITE BACK about.

Gabrielle, 11

I've been a published writer for more than a decade, and I have received a fair amount of compliments on my writing...mainly from adults. I love children, which is why I feel so at home writing for Clubhouse. But when I write for kids, unlike when I interact with them in person, I don't always know if I'm connecting.

A letter like Gabrielle's is especially precious...and worth more than many letters I receive from adults (although I appreciate those, also). It makes me think of a verse in the Bible about Mary. It says that after she had observed the wise men's worship of Jesus, she "treasured all these things in her heart." I believe the wise men's visit reminded Mary of the awesome role she was playing in God's plan. The Lord gives us glimpses, like Gabrielle's letter, that affirm our calling and give us something to treasure.