Just A Memory

by Kay Heitsch

At Todd's calling hours, some teenagers shared with me that Todd had told them they should come over to our house and talk with me. They explained that Todd let them know I was easy to talk to. So after Todd's funeral, teenagers started to show up and talk. It was comforting to have them stop by and chat.

After talking for a while, I'd take them to Todd's room and let them look around. I usually didn't stay with them but allowed them to have alone time with their thoughts and feelings. While down in Todd's room, I told them if they saw something they would like, let me know, and if I didn't want to keep it, they could have it.

I found it amazing the things these teenagers chose. Several Cross Country teammates took a spike out of Todd's shoes. Each expressed their desire to keep a spike as a memory of Todd.

As each teenager showed me what they had picked, it opened my eyes to what was really important in life. They didn't choose something that had any monetary value. Instead, they chose a small item that was just a memory.

I could see by the items these teenagers chose what really was important in life; it wasn't about stuff; it was about relationships.