Ashton with Uncle Nelson Richardson

I stockpile Kleenex. I have to. Yes, we use a lot. So, I keep a big stack in my storeroom. I’ve decided that is what I want to share when I visit someone who has had a death in their family. I’m a practical gift giver like my mother is. I want to give something that will be needed and used. Kleenex is perfect.

I dropped some by a friends house today. They are having their turn. No one was home, so I left the boxes at their door for them to find when they get home. As I drove off, I was reminded of the boxes of Kleenex left at our door. Tears came as I remembered pulling into our driveway, seeing them there. I remember that feeling….. it was like my heart was smiling.  Those boxes were so much more than needed Kleenex. They meant that we weren’t alone in our sorrow. They meant that someone knew what we needed. They meant that someone was trying to tell us they are sorry that our Ashton died. They meant that someone remembered Ashton and us.

I hope our friends feel that when they find their Kleenex. I hope they will feel they are not alone. I hope they will feel my sorrow for them. I hope they will feel remembered. Maybe their heart will smile too, for just a little while.