Jake
I first met Jake when he was five years old.
I had gone with my best friend to visit his family. Jake was by the pool digging through a box of very creepy things. Fake eyeballs, baby monsters, plastic fingers, and a spider ring.
He took a liking to me right away. Within minutes, he took the spider ring from his collection and reached up to hand it to me.
I didn’t want to take it, because I didn’t want to take a toy from a child. But looking up at me with precious, wide eyes I knew that rejecting this gift would be a far greater wrong.
So I took the ring and placed it half-way down my pinky and said, “Thank you, Jake! Does this mean we’re engaged?!”
A shy little grin and nod told me we were!
And for the rest of the day, every time he looked my way I would wiggle my pinky at him and wink.
As I left, I kissed the top of his head whispered, “Thank you! I will keep this ring forever!”
And three years later that ring sits in my jewelry box. I see it when I open it up and think of little Jake with fondness. It stares at me every time I open that box!
I always imagined that one day I would tie it on the bow of his wedding gift.
So when I got the news Saturday night that little Jake was fighting for his life, I thought of that ring. I hoped and I prayed that I would still get to tie that little ring to his gift.
And thank goodness that little stinker dug from somewhere deep down and fought to survive.
He’ll still be in the hospital a few days, but he’s through the worst of it.
But that day he gave me the ring…
I remember him so earnestly looking at me as he handed it to me. I had no doubt he wanted me to have it.
Yet, I still had to accept it. I could have easily told him, “No. You keep it.”
That was and still is one of the biggest battles for me. It was especially hard as I was losing. There were people wanting to help me, but I had the hardest time accepting that fact.
But along the way I learned to recognize what is good and allow it into my life. And that has made all the difference in the world.
If someone wants to help you with your diet, let them.
If someone wants to show you how to lift, let them.
\If someone wants to listen to your troubles, let them.
In other words, hold out your pinky so the people who love you can slip a spider ring on it! I promise you, it will be the prettiest ring in your whole, entire box!
