While most nine-year-olds would be aiming to spend their birthdays with lots of presents and friends, one girl decided she wanted to do something a little bit differently and spend the day with the local police force and give them lunch instead.
The young Samya McLaughlin brought bagged lunches filled with sandwiches, chips, fruit and a cookie, to the police officers on duty, which she had purchased with her own lunch money as a thank you to the officers that help keep her safe.
“I was thinking that I should feed the police officers because I wanted to show them that I support them and I thank them for all that they do,” McLaughlin explained about her decision to gift officers some food. “I wanted to show them that all lives matter.”
She was inspired to do something when she saw the recent tragedy in Dallas and decided to show appreciation for the men and women who put their lives on the line for us.
“We discuss things that’s going on,” McLaughlin’s mother explained about their decision. “I always ask her how she feels about it.”
The officers, for their part, decided to make her “Officer of the Day,” and gave her some gifts of her own as well!
“It makes you feel proud,” McLaughlin’s father concluded. “She has a big heart and she knows how to care, and she knows how to appreciate what’s going on.”
The world can feel chaotic, especially amidst all of the turmoil that seems to happen on a daily basis, but it’s the little moments that help remind us that the world can be a beautiful place if we take a look at what the everyday person is doing to make their community better. The young girl, who also recently made bagged lunches for a homeless shelter, is a true inspiration, and a reminder that everything is going to be all right.
