We visited and she told me of how she was going to draw me a picture each week and mail it to me. That we could talk on the phone. That she would come see me once a year. All of this jabbering on both of our parts to take the light off of the elephant in the room. She was moving and it was dreadful to think of being separated.
Her Mother told me that she had spent a lot of time crying over the thought of leaving me. It was painful for my own feelings and double so because of her pain. Words sound so hollow in telling her that things will be okay...we will stay in touch etc. etc.
She likes dill pickles so I put a couple in a small bowl for our pickle party. I gave her a special fairy book that had a puzzle on each page and we did a couple of those and read the story page about that particular fairy. We admired the beauty of the pages and the colors.
I told her it was time to go and we headed to the car. Her brother rode with us. We dropped him off and she and I went to the store, for chocolate milk, as she thought that sounded so good. Back to her house and we got out of the car and she took my hand as we walked in.
Her Mother came to the door and we stepped in. Time to go. She grabbed me and hugged me and sobbed and sobbed. She put her arms around my neck and kissed my cheeks. Crystal was trying to hold it together and not doing very good. Nor was I. She stayed snuggled in and sobbing and it broke my heart. I tried to break away and she held tight. We were there a long time.
Finally I told her...Sweetie, I have to go... and stepped back as I gently pushed her to her Mother.
We had talked earlier in the afternoon about love and the price of love is pain when you part company. If you don't allow yourself to love then you don't have that feeling but love is worth the pain once in awhile. I believe that but what does a 9 year old innocent understand?
I will miss sitting with her on Sundays and seeing her joy and her face light up when she sees me at any given time and the abundance of the expression of her pure love in all sorts of ways. Her Mother still questions how this came about as Lydia is extremely shy and yet she came and sat with me/us at Church when she was 4 years old. Her parents sat behind us with her 3 brothers and that is how it's been all these years. Snuggled in-between Terry and I. She loves him also and he is also her BFF but not with the intensity of our association.
This is one relationship that I will tend and nurture over the years and someday, on the other side of the veil, I do believe that I will fully understand our connection. For now...it's enough to thoroughly enjoy our friendship and I so appreciate being cherished by a child. Such purity.
Our last adventure--we went to the ballet at the Capital Theatre with her Mother. We had a wonderful time!!!
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| My darling Lydia and I. |
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| Lydia and her wonderful, equally sweet/loving, Mother, Crystal. |
I just remembered a letter Lydia emailed me in 2012. 3 years ago. I got such a kick out of it. Her Mother was cooking dinner and she had set it up for Lydia to send me the note she wanted but couldn't help her right then. Lydia just went ahead and did it with her Mom instructing her how to send it. We both enjoyed her letter! here
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