Smart Mouth

Here is the story for those of you who haven’t heard it… when I sent out the message about Stacey and baby Henry to the friends that she and I share, our sweet friend The Pickle suggested that we take up a donation to buy Stacey a gift.  So, I found an awesome website that had gifts specific to the loss of a child, and I picked out several choices.  We collectively decided upon a necklace that could be engraved, here is a picture of that necklace:

It says “I meet you in every dream” and we decided that we have Henry’s name engraved on the back.

I ordered the necklace and told everyone that if they sent $5-$10, that would cover the cost.  Envelope after envelope started arriving, with more money in it than I had asked for.  In the end, after I paid for the necklace, we had over a $100 dollars left.

The necklace got here a few days ago, and yesterday I set out to find a place to engrave it.  I expected that jeweler stores might be busy (because of Christmas) but after the third place turned me away I was getting really discouraged.

I went in to the fourth jewelry store and they said they would be able to do it, but wouldn’t be able to get the necklace back to me until after the first of January. 

I got upset in the store, and explained why I needed them to finish it before then.  The lady got choked up hearing Stacey’s story, and told me she would do what she could, but that she couldn’t promise that it would be finished before January.

So, I felt like I failed.  I didn’t know how I was going to tell everyone that our gift wasn’t going to make it there for Christmas, and quite possibly it might not even make in 2007.  I was dreading sending out the message, and so I avoided it.  Then two hours after I got home, the jewelry store called.  The necklace was done. 

When we went to the jewelry store to pick it up?  They told us there was NO CHARGE for the engraving.

So, this morning I went out to get the rest of our gift.  I bought three gifts cards (a $25 Applebees card, a $25 Chilis/Macaroni Grill card, a $50 Visa Gift card) some body wash/lotion/shower puff and four pairs of fuzzy/cute doggy socks.

Then I frantically tried to get to the post office, I was upset again (YES. I KNOW.  I cry A LOT lately!) because I don’t move too fast and didn’t get to the post office until 11:50 and they close at noon.  I didn’t think they were going to let me ship it.  There was a lot of people in line, and time was ticking by.  From the line, I begged them to let me ship my box, already starting to cry.  The clerk playfully made a comment about not having many customers as upset about their packages not being shipped and my gift must be for someone special… I told her it was and I told her Stacey’s story.  And I made two mail clerk ladies cry.  They said there was no way they would turn me away, of course I could mail my package.  I sent the box out express mail, so it is guaranteed to be delivered to Stacey on Christmas Eve. 

Then I went to a Gift store, to buy a gift for the jewelry store employees.  The ladies at the gift store asked what kind of gift basket I wanted.  Who it was for?  I told them Stacey’s story too, because I figured, why pass up a chance to plug the jewelry store?  (Everyone in my town should hear about the wonderful thing they did for us.)  And in the process I made the gift store ladies cry TOO!!  Then they didn’t charge me for gift wrapping my basket of goodies, and they gave me 10% off my order. 

Then I went back to the jewelry store, with a card from all us, thanking them for the gesture that may have seemed small to them, but to me was HUGE.  Because of them, Stacey’s Christmas will be a little bit brighter.  I even printed out the obituary, with Henry’s beautiful picture, so the lady that engraved our necklace could see the little boy whose name she engraved. 

By the time I thanked them (don’t ask me what I said either, because I was crying before I even walked in and I was SO nervous that I have absolutely NO IDEA what I said) there was not a dry eye in the store.  Even the guy that was standing there getting a gift wrapped, was crying.  They tried not to take my gift bag, they said they didn’t want anything, other than the opportunity to make Stacey’s Christmas a little better than it would have been.

So, wow.  I still can’t believe how many good people there are out there in the big wide world.  Whether it be:

~ the company that shipped our gift 2 day UPS shipping at no charge – so we can get our gift to her as soon as possible,

~ or whether it be our (mine and Stacey’s) friends – who have touched me to the depths of my soul, with the kind words and love they have shown Stacey, those of you that know her and those of you that don’t – I can’t believe how lucky I am to know SO many extraordinary people,  

~ or whether it be the strangers that have NO idea who Stacey even is, but are willing to do whatever they can to help me, help US, in our effort to show her how much we love her.

I guess I better stop Bah-Humbug’ing now, since I just got an extra large injection of Christmas spirit!

So, for all of you that contributed to the gift, (Anne, Mandi, Brandi, Rikki, Jen, Michelle, Kristi, Jill, Pickle and Katie) here are a few more pictures of the gift, as it will look when she opens it.

(Sorry that the pictures of the necklace aren’t better, but it was difficult to get a close up with it being blurry.  The first picture is the front of the necklace, the second picture is his name “Henry Jacob” written on top and bottom sides of the pendant.)

Merry Christmas Everyone!