It Matters To Me

A couple weeks ago SweetP had to go to the doctor to get some cream for a mysterious rash thing. While he was there the nurse gave him this horse sticker. When P moved it looked like the horse was running. It's about the size of a stamp.


We still have this sticker.

Calling it a sticker is a bit misleading, as it no longer sticks.

It lost it's stickiness about a day after he got it, so naturally I threw it away -in the trashcan in the bathroom.

P peered into the trash can, ignoring any and all sorts of feminine hygiene application materials (which I guess are only useful to him at Christmas time), to find this horse sticker.

I need to be clear, in no other way does he show an affinity for horses or stickers. He has also gotten very similar motion stickers from this nurse before. There was something about this particular sticker that pulled him in and he refused to let go.

When we clean up his toys at the end of the day this sticker gets put in his Miscellaneous Toy container along with Happy Meal Toys and his binoculars.

We now tape this sticker to his shirt so he can still glance down at it. I don't know why I have not just gone out and bought the boy new moving horse stickers. It's never on my list...?

This morning it struck me that he has managed to hold on to this tiny, seemingly meaningless, thing for quite some time. He also seems to remember it, seek it out even.

Later this afternoon we took a family trip to the grocery store. I left my wallet in the store.

After we were about 3 miles from the store my mom, who lives in a town about 3 hours from me, called and said, "Did you leave your wallet at Giant?"
...

Yes, I guess I did, how did you know?

A guy- who turned out to be about 21 at the most- found my wallet with a check from my parents in it. He called them, told them he had my wallet. They called me and Josh turned the car around so we could pick up my wallet.

They kid was very nice, obviously. As he handed me the wallet he said, "Here you go, everything is in there."

I thanked him over and over and we got in our respective cars and drove off.

I quickly thumbed through the wallet to make sure IT was still there.

Credit cards and checks can be cancelled. Driver's licenses can be replaced. Gift certificates from Christmas are nice and although they are irreplaceable, they are not important. I had no cash in the wallet.

The most important thing in my wallet is Parker's ID card from Hopkins. I've had it in my wallet since he was discharged. Maybe I feel like I don't want to forget, although how could I? Maybe I think one day he will want it, although why would he? Maybe I think if I throw it away I will be jinxing him somehow.

It's a small, orange, plastic card that is the first thing- before Birth Certificate, before Social Security card- I had to identify my son. Every time I open my wallet I see it and am thankful for a happy, healthy Pman.

It is small, but it matters to me.

Thank you Greg.