tear-jerker

let me just warn you ahead of time that you may want to have a kleenex nearby...

today isaac went with dennis to work for a few hours. when they walked into the house isaac announced, "i've got a surprise for you!"

as i was going over to him, i noticed him holding a small box. i said, "what is it, a hamster?"

"no, it's a tortoise."

i was shocked to say the least. i coulnd't comprehend it at first. dennis explained to me that they found it along the side of a busy street. they picked it up & stopped at pet smart on the way home. they explained the situation to one of the employees who apparently didn't know much about a desert tortoise, but who just happened to be present as a customer in the store? a park ranger! she explained exactly what to do: what he should eat, what his habitat should be like, etc. dennis & isaac proceeded to buy the necessary items before heading home with their surprise.

now here is where you should have your kleenex ready...

as i was cleaning the tortoise's water dish, dennis said, "isaac, you better tell mommy what you named the tortoise."

i looked at isaac as he said, "tim."

i asked him why he chose that name & he told me, "because you miss your cousin tim who is in heaven."

tears sprang to my eyes as i tried to collect myself. dennis & i looked at each other, understanding how very special our little boy is to us.

my cousin tim passed away 5 years ago after suffering from cancer for too many years. the night before he passed was the night we found out that i was pregnant with isaac. isaac was born 2 months premature, a few days before tim's birthday. isaac was baptised 2 months later, on Easter weekend. tim also had been baptised on Easter. so even though isaac never got a chance to meet tim here on earth, i beleive they have some kind of connection.

meet the newest member of our family: TIM