Jeni’s story:
On the night that Bob died, my Pastor poured some oils into a handkerchief and handed it to me. The scent of that handkerchief helped me through that night. I carried that piece of cloth for months after Bob’s passing and it always brought me comfort. Later, I explained to my Pastor that the simple passing of the handkerchief brought me so much comfort in my journey and I decided to extend that act to others. Each Christmas afterwards, I began giving my Pastor a package of 13 handkerchiefs that he could hand out to other widows and others in need of comfort in this journey.
My thought with the 13 was to cover at least one each month with an extra….just in case. It was my special way of extending comfort to others who were entering this journey
Teresa’s special “death” hanky story.
How interesting we both have a special hanky from our spouses death. I wonder how many have something special? I don’t have an exact memory of who gave me my hanky or precisely when I received my hanky. I think I received it before the memorial service or shortly afterwards. I remember being really touched by the gift and here’s what I remember.
The day of Kris’s memorial service a good friend, gave me a men’s handkerchief with Kris’s initials KPK and “It’s All Good” embroidered. I remember being so touched and cried and used it immediately. I loved the fact it was so personal and it was to be of great use for me daily. I felt loved, special, so understood and cared for. Just by a special personalized piece of cloth. I carried it with me for months. I remember thinking it was weird having a men’s hanky. I always thought they were so gross. Ew, yuck, carrying around a booger rag around with all the germs. I had such a different response to my own. I loved it, used it for comfort and solace and thought it was special. I eventually was worried I would loose it and wanted to keep it so I stopped using it. I reverted to tissues. The funny thing was that I had at least a year’s supply of tissues. My friends had stocked the garage with more tissues and paper products than I will ever use. Seven years later, we just finished using up all the paper products. My special personal hanky is put it away in a safe spot so I can treasure it forever. It still makes me smile and feel peaceful when I think of it.
What do you have that’s special? Jeni and I would love for you to share your special item story. We would love to learn from you. SHARE YOUR STORY
