The Pink Ribbon

This isn't about the very prevalent pink ribbon representing breast cancer awareness.  This is about a little pink ribbon I got as a gift many years ago that's still with me today.  I've written about the wife of the president of my college before.  She was one of those people who makes an impression on your life in so many ways.  If I had to sum her up in a single word, it would be "charismatic".  But the word charismatic doesn't even begin to do her justice.

There is this little rabbit she gave me for Christmas one year.  It was unremarkable in and of itself and it was not really my thing at that age.  I was too young for nick knacks; I still lived at home and I didn't have a need to display things.  But it was a nice gift and I stuck it on a shelf and didn't think much of it.

It was wrapped up with a little pink ribbon that had a hint of green in it.  But, this was no boring holiday ribbon, it was fancy stuff for that time.  This ribbon that decorated my little bunny would have been right at home as an accent on a fancy skirt.  But it's sole purpose was to convey that bunny as a holiday present. 

I saved that ribbon.  I planned on using it at some point on a present worthy enough.  But nothing ever met the standards of that ribbon.  I would forget about the ribbon for periods of time but it would surface again in my ribbon box and I'd ponder what I'd eventually use it for.

Then, my friend became ill.  She had leukemia and after what seemed like far too short a time, she died.  Later that year when I was wrapping holiday gifts I came across the pink ribbon.  But now, I had no interest in sharing my special pink ribbon.  It was mine and it was my memory.  I folded it up carefully and put it away as I thought of my friend, Frankie.

That was many years ago and I had mostly forgotten about the little folded packet of pink ribbon.  But not too long ago, I went to look for it because I wanted to bring it to her husband and tell him how I thought of her often.  But I couldn't find it.  What had I done with it?  I know I didn't throw it away and no one would have used it because I moved it out of the general purpose ribbon box.  Strange, I thought, I'm usually good at keeping up with things.  I hoped it would turn up.

I think that was two years ago and yesterday, when I was rearranging some dried flowers from a wedding I had saved on a bookshelf, I found it.  I found my pink ribbon, safe as houses, in a small brass bowl.

It made me smile, that small ribbon that probably was nothing more than a simple decoration for my friend, but has become to me, a reminder of her life and the person I remember from when I was younger.

The Big Boy Update:  The biggest one is still the best one.  He wants, "the biggest one" or "the very big one" or any other variation of large, huge, the most, or giant of anything he is interested in.  He even wanted, "the biggest one in the world" of one thing not long ago.  I'm not saying greedy or anything, but he does seem to have high expectations.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  Old MacDonald had a chicken.  Apparently, this is a new version of the traditional song.  My daughter was hungry this morning and had several things she told me she wanted to eat that Old MacDonald had on the way to school.