Super-Rare & Special

Today, some reflections, sparked by this tiny treasure.

I have been a slacker about haven't been very faithful to started power walking again this morning, partly because I haven't been sleeping very well and I'm thinking that exercise will help me, but mostly because I hoped I'd see my first-grade friend, Jax, outside. You see, he's moving away this week so I was pretty sure there'd be a moving van in his drive. And, sure enough, there it was. 

And there he was. 

Outside. 

Playing with the neighbors. 

Happy as a kid can be.

When he saw me, he called out my name and came running into my arms. 

He wanted me to see the rare dinosaur on the U-haul,

and we read the description together, something about the dinosaur's footprints. 

So I asked him what footprints he was leaving in Friendswood, to which he answered "character tracks!" without hesitation. 

That's when he reached into his pocket to pull out the treasure that I'm holding in my hand at the top of this post.

Jax: Here, Mrs. Gruener, I have something special for you.

Me: Wow, thanks. I'll add it to my lego collection.

Jax: It's super-rare.

Me: Are you sure you want me to have it?

Jax: It's okay. I have thousands of them.

Super-rare.

And special.

Just like Jax.

And then, just like that, he was off to play with his friends again and I was back in power-walking mode. As I was giggling at the irony of my super-rare lego that Jax has thousands of, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. And, before I was even to the corner, I began to cry sob. 

Big dinosaur tears.

Real raw emotions to wrestle with and regulate.

Sad, because this is so-long for now to a super-rare superhero who has this unique ability to make an ordinary day extraordinary.

And hopeful, because the world is bound to be a better place

with special young people like Jax leading the way.

His teacher and my friend, Amy Boyer, brought Jax and his class to see me this past week, to say good-bye. Since Jax loves Henrietta {Westwood's hen puppet} the most, she made a super-rare appearance and they made a pinky promise to stay in touch.

Can't you just feel the love?

 Henrietta I didn't want to let go.

Because when someone super-rare and special comes along ... 

I'll miss you, Jax. Thank you for making

footprints worth following wherever you go.