Pickle Puss

here is a short story long if you will... this story gives me hope that those not with us who are in heaven are still right there with us... and of course you have to wait until the end of the story to see why.. but I was touched by the entire occurance.. not just the proof.

My mom moved and also retired from her hospital she worked at for 25 years. She got a new part time job at a small country hospital right near her new home. So last week she was at work and she sees this strickingly handsome guy and he turns and looks at her and it happens to be a friend of her that she had grown up with's husband. The friend was a neighbor who was the "little sister" of a total of 3 sisters and 1 brother whom my mother is still good friends with. Now this sister Theresa (my middle name) was my grandmothers favorite and she had a little nickname for her.. Pickle Puss. At my grandmothers wake we laughed and talked about how my grandma called her that all the time... of course she cried, but was also curiously silent the entire time she was at the wake.. so much so that she slipped out without anyone noticing and left.. she didn't stay for the funeral and nobody knew why... we found out 6 months later when she herself died after losing her battle with cancer. She left behind two children 12 and 10 at the time... so the husband and kids live far from us.. about a 2 hour drive.. so you can imagine the shock my mom had when she saw him standing right in front of her... so as it turns out he works for a baby formula company (my mom works in mother baby taking care of moms after delivery and new babies) so he was there to give a presentation because their normal sales guy quit. Insanity for him, but part of his job. So they got to talking and my mom of course had to ask how the kids were doing, how he was doing... he said that his first Christmas was miserable BUT the first Christmas card he got that year was from her daughter (me) and that it really helped him through the season. (I'm seriously touched and so glad he told her because I wasn't sure if he was even getting them). I have no idea what I wrote in that card but apparantly he was very happy to recieve it. So they had a good talk and he excused himself to go clean up the conference room he had been using for a few hours to give this presentation.. so she followed him in to give him a hand because he had brought a full lunch.. sandwiches, chips, pop and he said "I forgot to take out the pickles" my mom had to leave the room.

So not only did my mom pick that hospital to work for (she really doesn't have to work) that shift work on that day (she picks her own hours) but then his sales guy quit and he was just filling in.. and they met in the weirdest of places.. and of course.. he forgets the pickles. Just the little things that almost give me proof they are still here with us because only to my mom would the pickles have signfigance.

Theresa, we love you, we miss you, we're glad you are still here with us.. thanks for the proof.