You have no idea the impact you might be making

It’s the time of year when I start making Christmas cookies (our office has a little tradition where we deliver cookies to some of our campus partners). These cookies are ones my P’92 mother has always made – very simple (yet delicious) butter and sugar cookies with red sprinkles.

Mom would send me tins of these cookies in college – always enough to share with my friends. Over the course of my four years at Wake, it is a fair statement to say that my friends had quite a few of Mom’s red cookies.

I had shared a picture of these cookies on Facebook a couple years ago, and my former roommate commented to say that she loved these cookies so much so that she has dreamed about them in her life post-Wake. I’m sure my P’92 had no idea that her gift of cookies made my friends so happy, but they did.

By sending those signature cookies, mom gave us a reason to huddle together in the craziness of the last week of class and finals, to have a few minutes to enjoy each other and some delicious homemade treats. It was just the break we needed from studying. A momentary pause for a little fun.

Parents and families – you have no idea how you might be positively impacting your student’s friends.  Maybe you sent a care package with cookies they got to eat, or you included them in your dinner plans when you were in town, or maybe you listened to their problems, or were supportive in some other way – a hug or a text or something.

My point is, you may be playing a part in some student’s happy memories of their time at Wake Forest, just because of something you said or did. So make those cookies. Send that card. Give your Deac’s friends a listening ear or a hug. Those tiny gestures of kindness may make a tremendous difference in one of your student’s friends’ lives.

— by Betsy Chapman ’92, MA ’94