I opened the door and saw him sitting there. Surrounded by kids but his expression says it all- he felt alone. He caught my eye and he smiled and I just stopped short. The brave smile- it’s the one intended to wipe the sadness from my eyes....
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I’m not sure when I went from spending the first few seconds of my day expecting to hear her coming down the down the hall to cozy in for just a few more minutes to spending those first few seconds whispering a simple prayer for...
Read MoreWhen we start out the door he instantly grabs my hand. There are days I am not sure who is holding on tighter. I hold on until the last possible moment and then I am forced to let his hand go so he can race...
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I finished putting out Christmas decorations and tucking the pine into the planters by the front door. I realized after two days I hadn’t even scratched the surface of Christmas decorating of the past. The pictures with Santa from their first to her last are...
Read MoreHer eyes grew wide each time she saw the address- the package would always be hers alone because she and the sender are kindred spirits. Whatever Miss Paula would receive from the ASPCA she would save for Catherine. She would box it all up and...
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The debate that surrounded each year’s costume started with one simple question “What are you going to be?” The decision as serious as the one that surrounded her birthday theme. We would start as soon as we saw the Halloween store’s sign. She would wander the...
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She would ask me- what’s your favorite season I would tell her "Fall" without hesitation. It’s the crisp blue sky, the air that bites in the early morning and the breathtaking display of color. As soon as I saw the first leaves begin to turn,...
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It’s the backpack that sits tucked behind the chair that haunts me. Not hers- hers is still in the box we received with the rest of her school things. It’s his- beside the chair where he dropped it last June. Each week I make a...
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The car passes by and it is loaded with the suitcases, the bikes hang off the back and the kids- the kids look at me through their back window. I wonder if they are wondering where I am going. And right beside me- there he...
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As we walked down to the bus stop Freddy said - “It feels like the first day of school.” As the bus pulled away, my stomach dropped and my heart broke. I thought for the second time since December 14th- she should be on that...
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