Friday morning.
"Michael, I decided that I want Greg's stocking on the mantle with the rest of the stockings. Is that okay?"
"Whatever you want to do is okay. I'll get the stocking out this morning."
"Thanks, Michael. I made a donation to Habitat for Humanity in Greg's name and I'm going to put the card in his stocking."
I feel better. It feels like the right thing to do.
Before I know it, Brynn is here for her cookie baking day. Chocolate chips today. She's as cute as she can be. Her energy and enthusiasm are catching.
"Let's bake....... COOKIES!!!"
And so we do. We bake cookies and more cookies and then... more cookies. Finally, the cookies are finished and we head to the dining room to play a game. (We love to play games!)
The mood is light, relaxed - easy. We're laughing and talking and out of nowhere, the child who hasn't been able to say Greg's name for 6 months, asks, "Is Uncle Greg's stocking going to be on the mantle?"
"It is, Brynn. How do you feel about that?" I'm dreading her reaction - and surprised that this is on the radar of yet another child. When Richard came to pick Kate up yesterday, he brought Brynn and Chase. Michael told me later that Chase asked him if Greg's stocking would be on the fireplace.
"Uncle Greg will always be a member of our family, right? Then his stocking should be there with the rest of the family. Why wouldn't you put up his stocking?"
"I was afraid that it might make Uncle Greg's kids sad to see his stocking there." (Sometimes I forget she's only 7 years old. There is so much wisdom in her innocence.)
"I think it would make them happy to know that you didn't forget their daddy."
Sometimes she makes it so simple.
Michael found the stocking and put it in it's rightful place on the mantle. He printed the Habitat for Humanity card for me and put it in Greg's stocking. I cried - but I knew it was what I wanted to do.
***Added after our family Christmas on Sunday 12/31/17.
On Sunday morning, I was sitting in the rocking chair, in front of the fireplace. Kate, Brynn and Bryce were running all over the house looking for hidden clues for their gifts. Mason was opening a gift and Chase came over and stood in front of me. Pointing up at the stockings, Chase asked...
"Grammie?," pointing to the stockings. "Whose stocking is that with the 'G' on it?"
"That's Uncle Greg's stocking," I smiled at Chase.
Chase smiled back, and said, "Thanks, Grammie."
...and he was off to play with his new toys.
"Michael, I decided that I want Greg's stocking on the mantle with the rest of the stockings. Is that okay?"
"Whatever you want to do is okay. I'll get the stocking out this morning."
"Thanks, Michael. I made a donation to Habitat for Humanity in Greg's name and I'm going to put the card in his stocking."
I feel better. It feels like the right thing to do.
Before I know it, Brynn is here for her cookie baking day. Chocolate chips today. She's as cute as she can be. Her energy and enthusiasm are catching.
"Let's bake....... COOKIES!!!"
And so we do. We bake cookies and more cookies and then... more cookies. Finally, the cookies are finished and we head to the dining room to play a game. (We love to play games!)
The mood is light, relaxed - easy. We're laughing and talking and out of nowhere, the child who hasn't been able to say Greg's name for 6 months, asks, "Is Uncle Greg's stocking going to be on the mantle?"
"It is, Brynn. How do you feel about that?" I'm dreading her reaction - and surprised that this is on the radar of yet another child. When Richard came to pick Kate up yesterday, he brought Brynn and Chase. Michael told me later that Chase asked him if Greg's stocking would be on the fireplace.
"Uncle Greg will always be a member of our family, right? Then his stocking should be there with the rest of the family. Why wouldn't you put up his stocking?"
"I was afraid that it might make Uncle Greg's kids sad to see his stocking there." (Sometimes I forget she's only 7 years old. There is so much wisdom in her innocence.)
"I think it would make them happy to know that you didn't forget their daddy."
Sometimes she makes it so simple.
Michael found the stocking and put it in it's rightful place on the mantle. He printed the Habitat for Humanity card for me and put it in Greg's stocking. I cried - but I knew it was what I wanted to do.
***Added after our family Christmas on Sunday 12/31/17.
On Sunday morning, I was sitting in the rocking chair, in front of the fireplace. Kate, Brynn and Bryce were running all over the house looking for hidden clues for their gifts. Mason was opening a gift and Chase came over and stood in front of me. Pointing up at the stockings, Chase asked...
"Grammie?," pointing to the stockings. "Whose stocking is that with the 'G' on it?"
"That's Uncle Greg's stocking," I smiled at Chase.
Chase smiled back, and said, "Thanks, Grammie."
...and he was off to play with his new toys.
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