“Black Kitty” for Sarah, age 8
I can’t be certain this stuffed animal is actually supposed to be a cat (round ears? looks sort of mouse-ish to me, and Sarah’s mom admits it looks more like a “rat-bear thing”), but 8-year-old Sarah calls him “Black Kitty”, so I’m just going to take her word for it, because let me tell you, Sarah LOVES this little animal so, seriously, she must know. The description Sarah’s mom wrote to me is just too cute to paraphrase – so here it is, directly quoted:
“You just don’t even know how much my daughter LOVES this stuffed cat. She is 8. She wants to know if Black Kitty will be in heaven with her. Black Kitty has been EVERYWHERE with us and we consider him part of the family! She even wrote and illustrated a booklet called ‘Adventures of Black Kitty.’ This sweet animal was purchased by Daddy when she was 3…he brought it home because he thought she’d like it…little did we know!”
Sarah’s mom emailed me shortly after Christmas and told me that when Sarah opened her gift, she had a very sweet, tender look in her eyes and hugged and kissed the portrait of Black Kitty.
I think that reaction made my whole life worthwhile.