Saturday Morning Message: Small Treasures

From Betty, mother of Michael: At Michael’s service at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, one of the Marines from Michael’s unit presented me with this item. Much was a fog that day (and for a period after that), but I remembered he told me what it was as he placed in my hand and gave me a hug. I got the impression that it was something he was not supposed to give me, but felt I needed to have. I’ve attached a photo of it with this email. It is shiny, with the USMC logo etched in, but had scratches on the back when I received it. I carry it in a small bag in my purse, always. It represents the love Michael’s unit had toward him—and that is sufficient for me.

From Michele, mother of Stephen: You know mothers save everything that our children make, because they made them. Gosh, even though they meant something then, they mean that much more now that my son, Stephen, is gone. My husband had an excavating business. Stephen was so intrigued with the excavators and loved to draw. So he decided to make a couple of pictures for his dad. He was our Picasso. Of course, my husband was so proud of him that he framed them. We just cherish those mementos! This is one of the pictures.

From Sheryl, mother of Adam: I moved out of state less than a year after Adam died and had to really prioritize what I kept. It was very tough and I shed a lot of tears.

Pictured are the items that I moved. Adam made the gargoyle in middle school. It reminds me of his creativity and love for fantasy. The Canadian flag is from a family trip to Winnipeg when Adam was about 4 years old. We had other trips to Canada, too, that provide many happy memories. That flag reminds me of his sense of humor. As a joke, Adam liked to try to convince people, even those who knew him since kindergarten, that he was born in Canada. For a year or so he would end sentences with a Canadian, “eh.” When on stage, he often used a Canadian accent. These little things bring tears and smiles.

From Wendy, spouse of David: The thing that came to mind first when I read the weekly question were these little shoes he made. Our first son, Theo, had the fattest little feet. He could not fit in baby shoes. He started walking at 13 months and wanted to go everywhere, but we could not find any shoes to fit his feet to wander around outside. My husband bought some leather and tools to make moccasins. He sewed the leather together and followed a pattern he got online. The biggest shock to us all was they FIT! Theodore wore those for about six months and then his feet began to get lean as he grew and he was able to fit into other shoes. I have those tucked away in the few baby items we kept from both our boys. I think about those shoes all the time. David loved our boys with all his heart.

Sometimes the only time he would smile is when he was watching or playing with our boys. Sometimes I wonder how it could be my boys are growing up without this man who loved them so deeply or how my husband could be missing all these moments of their lives.