Major milestone passed!

For the last year and half, I've had a certain box that belonged to Donovan sitting on the floor in the back room.... Just staring at me...

For the last year, I couldn't even bring myself to look at it. It had all of his belongings that was brought to me from his work by one of his co-workers. This afternoon, I finally got the need to clear that box out. While I was doing this, R decided to go through some of her toys and see what she wanted to keep and what she wanted to give to the kids at the Medina Children's Home... So proud of her for doing so...

Anyway, I found lots of peppermints, snacks, and gum. Also a squeeze ball (which R decided to take and put to use). He also had his Bible in his desk (which he got from his parents back in '02). Donovan would sometimes come home (or call) and ask me (or then call his mom) about some spiritual discussion that he was having with one (or several) of his co-worker(s). His mom and I were both proud of him for not being afraid to speak the truth at work. The turn-out from everyone that worked with him at the visitation, funeral, grave-side, and letters left for the family on the newspaper's website (K printed all of them up and I could only read two of them shortly after Donovan's funeral) spoke volumes of the influence that he had.

There are some things that I'm setting aside for R and J when they are older but, the stuff from various eateries, are in the trash. Once I had the box emptied, I felt like I wanted to do a cartwheel (even though I've never done so) but it was like a weight had been take off of me and it was liberating.

More to follow.....