The Gift of Remembering

As lovers of children’s books know…children’s books are not just for children. So when a friend of mine died recently, I dug through my books on death and pulled out one of my favorites—Badger’s Parting Gifts by Susan Varley, published by HarperCollins. The book begins with Badger preparing to die, “Badger was so old he knew he must die soon.” His animal friends are sad when they discover he has died and Mole is so despondent he drenches his blanket with tears. As winter begins to thaw, the animals come together and talk about Badger. Mole remembers how Badger taught him to cut out paper moles and Mrs. Rabbit remembers her cooking lesson from Badger and the “fragrance of gingerbread fresh from the oven”. One by one, the woodland animals share a memory of their friend and realize the gifts they received from Badger. Eventually even Mole is able to move forward with hope.

As I re-read this story, I thought about my friend, Scott Swanson, and the gift he was in my life. He was someone, who encouraged me to open the door to my passion. His belief in my ability helped me take action. His believing eyes are gift that will stay with me always. Thanks Scott.