Thanks, -t (though I really didn't write anything, did I? And even that took several large paragraphs...).
Strix, thanks for re-talling that story for my sake. It's lovely. I'm sure you wore it very well indeed.
I honestly couldn't think of anyone better for the thing I sent you, but I also thought that it would probably make you cry.
Thank you so much. I still don't think I'm deserving enough of it, and I definitely cried whn opening the package.
(Lee sent me the booklet - beautifully crafted, with a thread name at the head of each of its lovely pages, its cover has "Buffistas" written on it, just like at the top of the board, and on the inside something which looks like a Chinese symbol, with "thanks" underneath it. Was it candyb who made this, to thank ita for building the Phoenix board? Or am I misremembering and it was somebody else? Either way, it's beautiful. And I'm so grateful to have something of hers here with me. Oh, and a small dragonfly!)
The tears came very easy, today of all days - on this Hebrew date, exactly two years ago, was the last time I saw my father alive. He was at home by then (he was so weak, and there was nothing they could do for him at the hospital, and he preferred being at home, in his own bed, rather than anywhere else). Pi++Toddler was a baby of two months old at the time (oh, how grateful I am that he not only managed to see her, but also to see her smile), and PiBoy was the same age she is now. We couldn't spend long periods of time at my parents' place, because the noise and mess and action brought in by a then-two-years-old energetic toddler were too much for my father, so we tried to arrive for short visits whenever we could (the arrival of the grandchildren were a breath of fresh air for my mother, who needed that so very much at the time). I remember the date distinctly because it's a minor holiday (bonfires are being lit in the evening - in fact, we're going to one this evening, pretty soon). We showed Pi-then-toddler the fires scattered around when we left my parents' place that evening. Two nights later my father passed away, at home, like he wanted. On Friday we're going to go to his grave, and on Sundey there's the annual memorial service. Last year I couldn't attend, because on that very evening PiBoy had an extremely high fever which turned out to be penumonia. Goodness, that's way more meMeME than I thought it would be, and probably too meMeME for this thread, isn't it? I'll delete or whitefont if you think it's necessary. Sorry.)