My 2011 Christmas Gift to Lily

Dear Lily,

I am so glad your family invited us to join them in giving gifts to you this year.  These are gifts from the heart, and I searched mine to discover what it was that you would want me to do for you this Christmas.  I thought that one thing you would want me to do was to follow the promptings of the Spirit, no matter how silly or illogical the prompting seemed to be.  As you know, we got a cute little puppy this past summer, and we named her Jesse.  She has brought our whole family so much happiness and joy, and every time I think about how much this sweet little soul has brought to our family, I immediately have the thought that I should thank her “birth parents”—the family that we bought her from.  I have had this thought—or prompting—many times over the past 6 months, and so my gift to you this year is to act on that prompting.  I bought a box of oranges and a bag of doggie treats and toys, wrote a card of gratitude and included the above picture and delivered it to Jesse’s pre-family (before she became ours).  I was a little nervous to take it to them because I thought they would think I was a little strange, but it turned out to be such a great experience.  We had a wonderful visit, and the kids were excited to see a picture of Jesse.  I wanted them to know that when she left their loving home, she came to a home that was just as loving and that we adored her.  When I left their home, I had a big smile on my face.  It turned out to be one the most fun things I did for Christmas this year!

We love and miss you Lily!

Love,

Your Aunt Karen

The Best of Friends

Dear Jody,

My daughter called me at work today with laughter in her voice.  You had just dropped off this GORGEOUS platter that you hand made for me (thank you, dear friend...I love it!) and the saying on it gave Ashley such a chuckle that she had to call me right then and there to share it.  I thought it fitting that you chose this saying...and not just because I currently work with **ahem** mature residents of an assisted living facility.  But because shortly after the phone call, I witnessed a perfect example of the kind of friends you and I are to each other.  This is what I saw: Willma with her walker pulling Alice choo-choo style behind her and guiding her back to her room.  Both women had huge smiles on their faces and you could tell that they truly cared and looked out for one another.  You are that kind of friend to me...guiding me and laughing with me along the way.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

With love,
me