The Note in My Lunchbox

My mother put a note in my lunchbox every school day from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Thirteen years. Over two thousand notes.

They said things like "Have a great day!" and "You are smarter than you think" and "Don't forget your sweater," with little drawings of hearts and suns. In high school I pretended to be embarrassed. I kept every single one in a shoebox under my bed.

This year, my own daughter started kindergarten. On her first day, I put a note in her lunchbox: "Have a great day! Love, Mom." With a heart and a sun.

That night, my mother called. She'd found out from my daughter. She was crying a little. "You kept doing it," she said. I told her about the shoebox. Then we both cried. My daughter is keeping her notes in a shoebox, too.