Moeko doesn't know about her own fame, or just how many people
she's reached through her simple actions. ...I'm not going to tell
her. I think she would be embarrased more than anything. But, I
know she didn't do what she did for personal gain or recognition. A
lot of people have asked me to pass along thanks, or gifts even to
Moeko, and I just can't do that. Rather than showering her with
appreciation, I think the best thing to do is remember what she
did, and do that for someone else. Personally, I call this the
Moeko Principle. Ever since getting the owl, I've taken special
care to notice the kids who haven't given any reason to be noticed
at all. Just because they don't stand out, that doesn't mean that
they don't want to be acknowledged as well. It doesn't have to be
much - looking over the quiet girl in the back's English
assignment, telling her she did a good job...asking a shy boy how
his soccer club practices are going...or even just remembering a
student's name. Something to show them that at least one person
gives a damn that they exist. It's not a hand-crafted owl, but
hopefully it's enough.
Moeko will graduate from junior high school soon. In one of her
recent notes, she addressed this - "I will graduate from this
school in March. But we will still be friends, right?" ...My
response to her? "Don't say silly things.....of course we will."
That's a promise I can easily keep
