The best of friends

I've never met any of them. But they are amazing friends. The ladies of the June 2002 mommy message board (the Junatics...like Lunatics...but in June). We met on ePregnancy when we were pregnant...then we migrated to GeoParents...then off to SheKnows. We've seen so many networks in our time together that it seems like we should be working for the WB...the UPN...the CW...whatever the heck it is now.

But I digress. When Alex died, my friends sent me this beautiful quilt. Each person who contributed went out and bought fabric and sent swatches to a fellow crafter, who pieced it all together. One friend used her magical embroidery sewing machine to embroider a special tag so that I would always remember who gave the quilt (though I doubt I could ever forget their love sent to me, I love that personal touch on crafts...especially quilts).

They also sent me a very generous gift certificate to a mail order nursery. I have seen the results here... They really look nice in person. The perennials won't fill out for a couple years, so I've filled in with some annuals for now. I promise to bore you all with more photos as they progress.

Anyway...back to the POINT of this post (good grief I get lost easily these days).

Today, I came home to find another too-generous gift in the mail. Another gift certificate to the mail order nursery. I will definitely be adding to my flower garden now that I can visualize the layout more concretely. And speaking of concrete...the note said there was a picture of a gift I will be receiving via UPS. It makes me cry and smile with love when I look at it. It says, "Forever In Our Hearts"..."Alex Gerard and Travis Leo"

And last, but certainly not least was a check for a donation to PAWS in Travis' name. A $500 donation! Holy crap! (my exact words upon seeing the face of the check) That is gonna help a lot of puppies and kitties. I can't wait to give it to Amy, the director. She is gonna love it as much as I do. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It feels good to know that something good is going to come out of all this bad. It's nice to know that Travis has a legacy that is more than just sadness (of course he left a legacy of love...but this is something more tangible for us).


For as much as I complain about how people act...or things people say...we have been touched by MANY kind and loving gestures by MANY different people (that's not dirty...get your minds out of the gutter). So many people have been so kind to us and helped us build some positive/happy memories during a time when there were very few.