Inside this postal bag is LuLu the Lion. She is Miss 5’s class mascot. When on an adventure with another classmate, she went missing. That was over a fortnight ago. I made it my mission to find her and today, after much investigation, she was posted back to us. Thanks to some lovely winery staff, she was returned. There is a class of kids who are right now hugging LuLu with all their might.

I think finding LuLu was probably more important to me than anyone else. Kids move on pretty quickly – they have embraced the replacement class mascot Luca with fervour. I couldn’t.

You see, when I saw Miss 5’s tears rolling down her sweet cheeks after she found out LuLu was missing I made her a promise. I promised her I’d find LuLu. I held her tight and wiped the tears from her eyes. I saw the hope in her face. She trusts me. She still thinks I can do anything. I couldn’t let her down.

I try to only make promises that I can keep, but sometimes I make them knowing I can not. I’ve promised my girls I’ll always be there for them, knowing that I will die one day. I’ve promised that I won’t let anything happen to them, knowing that it’s out of my control. I’ve promised I will change the laws to make same-sex marriage legal, knowing that I am not a law maker. I’ve promised them a life of peace, knowing that my hope for a better world is just that, hope.

When I promised my little girl I’d find her class mascot, I knew I had to.

When it arrived today, my husband told me to jump in the car and drive straight to the school to deliver her. “You have to,” he said. “It’s LuLu”.

So I did. I drove like a rally driver and ran to the classroom. I called Miss 5 aside and let her peak inside the bag. Her face lit up. She looked at me like I was the most amazing person in the entire world.

I’d found LuLu. I’d kept my promise. And that my friends is everything.

Do you keep your promises?

bigwords x