Our friend Charlotte

Ava, Nate and I were friends with a wonderful elderly woman named Charlotte. The name was fitting for a Southern woman in her 80's full of life, wit, and charm. The kids and I used to take her a meal regularly and sometimes we'd stay for a short visit. On one occasion she gave the children a small stuffed animal dog that she had sitting in her windowsill. It still had the tag on it, so she clipped it and handed the dog to Ava who enjoyed cuddling with it. However, it is Nate's dog now. She didn't have a chance to know how much joy this stuffed animal has brought Nate because she died a few months ago shortly after her 90th birthday, and shortly before the dog became Nate's favorite sleeping partner. He sleeps with that dog every night and every naptime. When I go to get him from the crib, I see that dog and I think about Charlotte. She had hardly any family of her own, but anyone that got to know her became her family. She was lively, interesting, strong-minded, and faithful to Christ- whom she had only come to know in old age. I admired her and appreciate the impact she had on our lives. And, I am thankful for the every day reminder of someone special. Sometimes I wonder what simple items I might leave behind that will remind people of their relationship with me. The value is not in the object, but the friendship it represents.