Fond Farewell

Caroline's best-friend-and-nextdoor-neighbor Faith is moving to Jacksonville, Florida. It is a very tragic event here in the Morris household. They do not remember not knowing each other. I remember when they first met -- Out the window, I saw a little blond child walking up to each house so I grabbed Caroline and went outside to "check the mail." It was Faith's first day in the neighborhood and she was out for a walk with her mother. She was going up to each house looking for signs that a child lived there. She had been living in a hotel for two months and was desperate for playmates. Caroline asked her if she liked "whapping trees with sticks." Faith said yes, Caroline handed her a stick, and they both started to whack the tree trunk with them! This amused them both immensely. When they left, Caroline yelled after them "Bye, Naith!"

Her Mom (Anne) and I bonded almost as well the girls. We both stood there in our matching black leather jackets (quite new and fashionable at the time -- we are both still wearing them 5 years later); both pregnant and new to being stay-at-home moms. We had our second babies within 3 months of each other.

Caroline had no shoes on that day -- we had run out of the house immediately I saw Faith out the window, and anyway, Caroline never has shoes on. Faith wanted to take her shoes off too, but her mother wouldn't let her. (It was December and it was pretty chilly.) That's played out a million times since then, with Caroline always barefoot and Faith's mom insisting on shoes. I noticed this afternoon though, that when Caroline took off her shoes (before we even left the school yard), Faith's little sister Summer took off her shoes too. And Anne let her. I think we've finally worn her down.