Hearing the news of my old colleague, mentor, and friend’s wife passing away had me reflecting on their situation. Today, I took the initiative to send an email, expressing my condolences and checking in. Surprisingly, within an hour, he responded, sharing the details of his wife, their final months and providing insight into his mindset of “adapt or die.”
In response to my updates on Evelyn’s Christmas, he shared a heartwarming story about his son’s 5th Christmas. Permission was graciously granted to share the tale, accompanied by a photo of them sledding that memorable year.
Here’s the story:
“When Ben was 5, he was starting to wonder and question the whole Santa thing. We could tell that not all was adding up as it should in his brain! There was a combination of a few things, though. His bedroom at the time was upstairs and adjacent to the deck that was on top of the living room. That “deck” was a flat roof with the living room fireplace chimney coming through it. His bedroom had a door on to that deck.
That winter, we had a pretty decent snowfall a day or two before Christmas. Not huge, maybe 3 or 4 inches as I recall. So, Christmas night, after Ben fell asleep, I went up on the deck, next to the fireplace, using a ladder from outside so I didn’t go through his room. I took some of the carrots and cookies Ben had left downstairs for Santa and the reindeer, and left cookie crumbs and the chewed up tops of the carrots in the snow around the chimney. I then took a broom handle and carved “sleigh tracks” and “reindeer hooves” in the snow.
Ben was up before us the next morning (though we knew it and let him have 5 or 10 minutes to himself) and in the living room with the tree. But when he questioned the whole “how did Santa get down the chimney” thing, I asked him if he had looked out on his deck, since he would be able to tell with the snow all on the roof. Well, he raced up there and saw the “evidence” and that did the trick for another year or so, he was telling all his friends about it!
Such fun! Maybe things will coalesce just right for you to do something similar with Evelyn! It will definitely make a life-long memory — yes, Ben still remembers that.”
Inspired by the conversation and connection, I suggested a lunch date or a visit to his house on Bainbridge (secretly hoping for a ferry ride island adventure!) The idea of involving Evelyn and Dave was added, and when I realized I had plans to meet friends in Seattle the following day, the possibility of staying overnight was floated.
So, dinner plans at the “hidden gem” Via Rosa 11 and a stay in the guest room of his are a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with someone who played a fundamental role in my development as a counselor and as a person. I’m immensely grateful for his caring nature, and that our relationship is grand enough to hold such spontaneous and fun ideas.
Looking forward to sharing this adventure with you, we’ll be embarking on it next Friday.
Love, Jaclynn
PS This post’s photo is of Richard taking myself and a friend out sailing. It was my first and only time and it was thrilling.
Going On 40 