My sister visited us a few weeks ago and while she was here she gave me an early Christmas gift. I can say without a doubt that it is the most thoughtful, loving, caring, and special gift I have ever received. The gift of course relates to our late father.
Our dad was known for wearing either plaid or flannel shirts all the time. It makes sense for the winters in Minnesota are long and cold. Between our mom and the rest of the siblings I think that our dad got a new shirt for his birthday and Christmas each year - he was not in a shortage to say the least.
After my dad's funeral I stayed in Minnesota for a while to help my mom go through his things. We did end up donating a lot of his clothing to charity but my mom wanted to hang onto some of the clothes, specifically some of his shirts. Little did I know that my sister had a plan with the famous Tom Wallander shirts.
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| The magic eight pillow |
To the right is a picture of eight pillows that my sister had made out of my dad's shirts. One for my mom and one for each of the seven kids. The shirts were picked randomly except for the the one my mom received. She was the only one who knew about my sister's plan so she had a certain shirt she liked used for her pillow. The odd thing is as my sister started looking at old pictures she started to spot some of us with our dad in those specific shirts. The pillow I received is one that I am in a picture with him.
I got my pillow before everyone else for I would not be at our Christmas family gathering in Minnesota this year. It has been really tough holding this sweet gift as a secret but now that Christmas is complete and everyone has received their pillow I can shout it out to the world.
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| My dad and I a few years ago in the shirt |
I asked my sister how the presentation of the pillows went with the rest of the family on Christmas day. She said that everyone was deeply moved. A part of me wishes I could have been there. I know that each one of us was genuinely touched by this gift. It is so comforting to have a little piece of our father still in our grasp. I feel like a young child with their blanket but in this case it is a pillow. It's like having dad there with me. He is forever in my heart but also a symbolic touch away as well.
I'm so lucky to have such a thoughtful and inventive sister. I know that each of us is thankful for this gift and hold them lovingly in our
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| My pillow |
May the Christmas season continue within our hearts for the New Year. May we continue to remember the importance of kindness and love in our daily lives.
Namaste
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