Mandy's Memorial

At Christmas time many of us strive to find perfect presents to place under the tree, but some of the best gifts aren’t covered with pretty paper and colorful ribbons. Some gifts aren’t “things” that can be held in one’s hands. Some gifts are not anticipated, but are simply given as a sign of friendship. Some may be spontaneous like a warm hug. And sometimes I have received gifts that others may not recognize as a “present”, but more like a loving gesture. These are often the best gifts because they always come from the heart.

This year Pete and I received something that brought us smiles and warmed our hearts. It came to us by way of a message from Mandy’s friend Jackie on Christmas day. It seems that a group of Mandy’s co-workers from her first journalism job at the Index-Journal in Greenwood get together once or twice a year, and they always include a photo of Mandy in their gatherings. When they met a couple weeks ago, they took some silly holiday pictures of each of them including the one of Mandy's framed photo which I've attached. Jackie also sent us a collage of the group pictures that she had created, and we loved seeing all their smiling faces.

In her message to us, Jackie explained that Mandy’s photo rotates each time they meet, going home with a different one of them as they conclude their visits. Jackie said that she wanted us to know that Mandy’s memory is still always with them. And while we’ve been assured by many of you that you will always remember Mandy, it’s comforting to be reminded that her memory lives on. Our thanks to Jackie and the rest of the I-J group for sharing your fun photos with us.

We will be forever thankful that Mandy was fortunate to have so many amazing friends who have now become our friends too. We are grateful that you continue to include Mandy when you’re having fun and making new memories together. And we are grateful for your gift of making us smile just when we needed to be reminded of how deeply Mandy was loved by so many.

We want to give everyone a heads up that we removed Mandy's Memorial plaque from the Marsh Walk this morning and sent it out to be restored. Last time we did this some friends were concerned that something had happened to it. Hopefully it won't be gone too long and will come back looking new again.