"Life is a gift. Take nothing for granted."

A few weeks ago, my mom was cleaning out one of Ollie and John's closets when she ran across this:

Ollie passed away two months before I learned I was pregnant with Madison. Ollie never got to meet her Great Great Niece and Madison never got to meet her Great Great Aunt. Yet, here were presents, hidden in a closet for a little girl. I started asking myself "How did she know there would be a baby" and better yet "How did she know it would be a little girl"? I can't imagine how excited Ollie would have been to welcome Madison into the world and to watch her grow. She would have spoiled my little girl to no end. (I know because I was a little spoiled myself) Ollie would have loved her unconditionally. But for reasons I don't understand and sometimes still find hard to believe, Madison will never get to meet Ollie. She will only know her from the many pictures and stories. And when she is old enough to learn her middle name, I will tell her she was named after one of the kindest, most loving people I know. Someone that loved her before she existed and I have the presents to prove it!