Gift

My oldest brother, Andrew, lives in Alaska with his lovely wife Wendy and their four kids. Before they moved two years ago, they had lived just a mile up the road from my parents for twenty years. Needless to say, they left a large hole in the fabric of Nanticoke when they left.

Upon arriving at my apartment a couple of weeks ago, I found a package lying in front of my door. The postmark? Alaska. Surprised, I hurried inside to open it. Nestled inside was a note and a china doll.

I had an inordinate love for dolls as a child. My brother must have remembered this about his baby sister when he spotted this one.

The sentimentality of the gesture struck me with a wave of missing.

A few days after she arrived, my niece requested pictures. They're below.

Can you guess why Andy wanted to send me this doll?

Odd post, yes. But I'm in an unapologetically sentimental mood right now.

So there.