Everyone has something that they purchased that they feel was worth every penny. For my wife, it is a particular pair of shoes. For my dad, it is a particular fly rod. For me, it is a lunch from the place I complained about every day I was in school. Let me explain.

The school my daughter goes to will allow you, for the cost of the meal, to join your child for lunch. My daughter asked me for several weeks when I would be able to join her. Unfortunately, my travel schedule for work coupled with the numerous weather systems that have blanketed our area with more snow than desired made it hard to work out a schedule. I finally made a point of taking the time off from my schedule right before a particular work excursion to do it.

You can imagine the look on my daughter’s face when she saw me at the door to her classroom. Even with her normally bubbling personality, she absolutely started beaming. Of course she was a little shy and a little embarrassed, you could tell that I had just made her day, week, maybe even month.

Once everyone had washed their hands, we proceeded down the hall and stairs to the cafeteria. We got our food and I proceeded to fit my 6’1" frame onto the bench that is sized for my 3’5" daughter. While my daughter was busy chatting with her classmates about the day, I could feel the happiness in her being as she sat next to me. I was showing her commitment and love that she could relate to.

If you find the opportunity to do something with your child that is in their daily routine away from home, I would encourage you to do so. The $2.10 is the best investment that I have made in a long time and is one that I will do again.