Yesterday I had a
surprise visit from a good friend and his daughter while I was at work. I
hadn’t seen her for quite some time and it was a lovely little reunion. It
occurred to me that I should tell her just what her visit meant to me. Being
Thanksgiving, what better time to express gratitude? (I’m going to ask her Dad to give this to her
when it looks like she needs it most – maybe a few years down the road).
Dear Emily,
It was on Saturday of the 2013 Thanksgiving weekend. You and your dad dropped in for a visit on
your way to the Sunshine Coast. You didn’t know what was going on in my heart,
but I was a little sad, having just come back from visiting my son’s bench in
Whistler. I find holidays tough, and miss him more than usual. And then in you walked, with the
biggest smile on your face, offering the most needed thing in that moment – a
big hug from a little person. It brought me back to those days when the boys
would nearly knock me over when I’d get home from work and I’d pick them up in
my arms and nose-to-nose, find out what monkey business they had been up to
that day.
We talked about your sparkly nail polish, how you could
understand French, and you played with a little dog named Otis, who had come in to do a bit
of shopping while you were here. (Remember?
He had crooked front legs, and you thought he was pretty cute.) Then
off you ran (after a couple more delicious hugs) to catch your ferry.
You might wonder why I’m telling you this… I asked your dad
to hold on to this letter and give it to you when you needed a boost. I want you to know that your simple gesture meant
the world to me that day and I’m sure you had no idea. I want you to know that
you cheered me up that day beyond measure.
I want you to know that you matter. And I thought there might just come
a day when you needed to be reminded of that.
You made a difference to me that day Emily, and I’ll always
remember those hugs (and that little pink hat you were wearing too). Here’s a
picture of my little guy and me at the beach many years ago… it captures the
feeling you helped to bring back to life that day.
Thank you, my Divine Miss Em.
Hugs.
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