Is it backwards ...

... to want to give reverse going-away gifts?

I ran an idea past Paul last night of what I want to buy my two closest friends here as a “thank you for being you and always being there for me” gift. He liked the idea as well. [All the stuff here is now redacted.]

But I want to give them something personal as well – I mean, something that doesn’t cost money but means a lot to me. Have you ever read Louis Sachar’s children’s book There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom? If you haven’t, too bad, because I’m going to tell you the ending. (I don’t feel too guilty – none of my readers are ages 8 to 13 ... I hope.) The story is about an angry, withdrawn boy named Bradley and a new school counselor named Carla who draws Bradley out of his shell. At the end, Carla is fired and has to leave without telling Bradley goodbye. He’s crushed, but she sends him a package containing her favorite book. He responds by sending Carla his most prized possession, a china toy rabbit with a broken ear. Certainly the thought that counts.

When Mattie went home in ’05, he left his rose quartz pendant and I gave him my Zuni bears. They were very important to me, but it just seemed right, you know? And the agreement was, “OK, I’ll hold this for you until we see each other again.” So it’s kind of like that. There are a lot of things that are sacred to me for one reason or another, so it’s just a matter of mulling over what I want them to hold until I come home.