Thinking About Jeremy

I'm thinking about Jeremy today and by tomorrow he'll likely crowd out all other thoughts. He's the reason why The Jeremy Project exists, the reason I wrote Nana's Socks, and the reason why so many families have something to cherish after the illness or death of their child.

What a lot this boy has managed to orchestrate even though he's no longer with us. But, if you had had the chance to know him, this would come as no surprise.

So who was this kid?

He was a wild handful and more complex than perhaps anyone ever realized, except for his mom. He loved music, his friends, and his freedom. He was smart, creative, imaginative and bursting with energy. He was fierce and passionate in his ideas and in how he wanted to live his life. He was fun...so much fun. And as you can see, he was a stunner.

What is my favorite Jeremy story? There's many but one that immediately comes to mind unfolded as he spent the afternoon with us one day. I had sent he and Kenny outside to play and when I next looked they had tied the rabbit cage - with the rabbit in it - to a skateboard and had then tied the skateboard, rabbit and all, to Kenny's bike. Jeremy was riding the bike with Kenny sitting on the handle bars.

"What are you two doing?!"

Jeremy paused for a moment and looked at me like I was the dumbest aunt on the planet before speaking as if rabbits tied to skateboards were an everyday occurrence, "We're taking Thumper for a ride."

"You're what!?"

"He was bored Aunt Laurie!"

I knew it was only moments before he picked up speed on that bike. "Jeremy! Untie that rabbit from that skateboard! Kenny! Get off those handle bars! And I mean NOW!"

Isn't that hysterical? Oh my gosh, I laughed so hard.  They both looked quite disgusted that I had ruined their fun, but they quickly got over it and moved on to putting Torie Montana's Little Tike picnic table into the pool for use as a surf board.

Good Lord we miss that boy!

I would be so thankful if all of you would take a moment and visit The Jeremy Project on Facebook. You can see some of the pictures and become a fan of The Jeremy Project by pasting this link into your browser:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/The-Jeremy-Project/111449975307?ref=ts

You can also visit www.thejeremyproject.org. It is a wonderful thing Darcie has created and it has meant so much to so many families.

I gotta go.

Wishing for Shifts in Geography

Let me tell you what's not working so well for me any longer. Living in a different state than my sister. The older I get, the fact that St. Louis and Fort Myers Beach do not butt up to one another becomes ever more difficult.

I want to sit close to her and while away a few hours talking about our kids, our joys and aggravations. I want to discuss my writing projects and see her new pictures.

I want to have coffee with her at The Hartford Coffee Shop down the street from her house. I want to sit quietly with her, knowing we're just as close whether we speak or not.

I want to look into her beautiful green eyes and marvel at how we can be so alike and yet so very different.

I want to wander about her house to see her newest decorating ideas and browse her new books. I want to go through her closet and discover the jeans she clearly never wears and see how they could best be coaxed into my suitcase.

But, alas, living closer is simply not in our immediate future. Heavy sigh on this point.

Yes, I did spend part of last night looking through family photos.

BTW, Darcie is the founder of The Jeremy Project. If you'd like to see some of her photos visit www.thejeremyproject.org.

P.S. Darcie and I sound alike and apparently begin looking more alike once you get to know us. Someone once told us we looked like twins but we thought they were batty.