Jessie's Wagon

Last night I met my dear friend, Cheryl, for dinner. We were sort of celebrating our October birthdays, a bit late. During dinner, Cheryl told me about the times when Mycol would bring the kids over to her house as he helped out with handy-man type things. Often Jessie would sit on Cheryl's lap, but the one thing she always loved to do was take this little wooden wagon with teddy bears in it, and pull it around Cheryl's house. Around the living room, down the hallway, back up the hallway, around the living room again. Cheryl told me, "She loved pulling that little wagon, and it was just her size."

Cheryl put the wagon up after the fire, but now, she sensed it was time. And so, on the eve of Jessie's 11th birthday, Cheryl presented that very wagon to me as a gift.

She also gave me a souvenir we had brought back from our trip to Alaska, an Eskimo figurine. "I figured you didn't have anything from Alaska, and you gave me two things, so I wanted to give you this," she told me.

Once again, I am so deeply grateful for such incredible friends and family. Cheryl not only gave to me something that was special to Jess, but she gave me something that holds stories and memories of times I was not there; when I was at work or in class. I have yet to find words that come close to expressing how much this means to me. All I know to say is that I am so very grateful. Thank you, Cheryl.

And Happy Birthday to my precious baby girl.