The next morning, Ms. Larsen had drawn a small apple and a sandwich on the board with the words “Mission #02 – Share what you have.” The students already knew the rhythm — no tests, no long explanations, just a small act that mattered.
At lunchtime, most of them remembered. Some had packed an extra sandwich, others a banana, and a few had even brought homemade cookies. It didn’t take long before the meaning of the task became clear.
When Erik realized he’d forgotten his lunch at home, he tried to laugh it off. But before he could, Nora placed a wrapped sandwich on his desk. “I brought two,” she said simply. A few moments later, another classmate slid an apple his way. Erik looked around — surprised, embarrassed, but grateful.
Elsewhere in the room, quiet exchanges happened without a word. Small plastic boxes changed hands, and laughter spread more easily than usual. It wasn’t about who gave the most or who received — it was about noticing. Seeing hunger, tiredness, forgetfulness — and meeting it with kindness.
When the lunch bell rang, Ms. Larsen watched her students pack up. She didn’t say much — just smiled and wrote a single sentence on the board before they left: “You never lose anything by sharing.”
Outside, the snow was falling heavier now, and as the class headed home, they carried something warmer than food — the quiet feeling that giving, even something small, can fill more than one stomach.
