#shari smith

[getoutofthisplace]

Dear Gus & Magnus,

We had a productive day today -- packing up Christmas, doing laundry, rearranging the living room -- then we went to Yiayia's house for dinner.

Before Aunt Shari came to town a few weeks ago, we gave Gus a heads-up that she is missing a hand. We talked to him about prosthetics. Our explanation finally came home to roost tonight when he asked her where her robot arm was. She didn't bring it with her, but she took off her sleeve and encouraged him to satisfy his curiosity about her arm, which was nice.

Dad.

North Little Rock, Arkansas. 1.15.2023 - 7.04pm.

[istolethisfromyou]

This is a copy of "To Kill A Mockingbird" that Miss Nelle signed for me. I would never have asked her to do that, since I believe that to thank her is to not thank her. But, she signed a copy of the best book that will ever be written, the one that tells us everything we need to know about how to treat one another, and I have it and therefore no excuses for my sometimes ugly behavior.

- Shari Smith

[istolethisfromyou]

When I was four or five, I was in the gift shop of a hospital I visited often. My uncle had been swimming with friends in a lake and broke his neck diving in water too shallow. He remained paralyzed from the neck down for the short five years left of his life. A bone china German shepherd was in a glass case at my eye level, and my grandfather asked them to get it out. He handed it to me as the clerk warned him that I was too young to hold such a precious thing. He said, "She won't drop it. Will ye, Sissy?" and bought it on the spot.

It is 50 years old and remains intact.

- Shari Smith