Recycled Memories

Today has been an emotional day for me. It started out as a fairly normal morning. I was feeding Evan and realized that it looked like his first tooth might come in any day now. I thought, "I'll have to record that on the calendar." And then, I broke in to a cold sweat. I felt a wave of panic hit me. Because it is 2007, now. Which means the 2006 calendar where I have been recording all of Evan's firsts had been taken down. And it was recycling day.

I ran outside in my PJ's, but it was too late. The recycling, and my precious calendar had been taken away. I started to cry, and I couldn't stop. I called Chris, who confirmed my fear. I then called the city recycling center, and tearfully asked the receptionist Sherri, if there was anything they could do.

I didn't expect much, but she said she would look for it when the truck came in. That was around 10:30 this morning, so I had a long morning and afternoon of waiting. It really made me think. What if I couldn't get it back? Would it matter? Evan is growing so fast, and as silly as it seems, those dates on the calendar are like a little slice of time that I can save. I wanted them back in the worst way.

At around 3:15, my doorbell rang. It was a man from the city, and he was holding my calendar. I burst in to tears. I thanked him over and over, but I don't think he will ever know how much it meant to me. I am still in awe that not only did they search for it, but they drove it over to my house too. There are still good people in this world. I will have to think of something nice to do to thank them. I am also going to try to pay it forward, with my own random act of kindness.

I spent a lot of my afternoon looking at old pictures of Evan and reminiscing. I want to share this picture with you that was taken by Chris just minutes after Evan made his debut into this world. I didn't know then just how deeply he would impact my life, or how much each little moment would mean to me. Remember to cherish each day, and each memory. It goes by fast.