Bracelet

Little sweetheart, several years ago your mom got each of us a lovely little memorial bracelet - leather wrist strip holding a polished steel setting with your name and dates on one side and a personalized phrase on the other (mine, of course, saying "Little Sweetheart"). 

Some time back, because I wore it every single day everywhere I went, the leather began to give way on one side from the clasp and I had to put it aside for fear that it would fall off and I might lose it. 

But this afternoon, I took it to that tiny little shop at W55th and 9th, the shoe repair shop run by that guy who always says that he - and true to his word usually can - can fix anything. He stopped what he was doing when I came in and took a look at it under his magnifying glass light. I asked if he could fix it and he said he'd do it right then and there, just to have a seat. He cut a new piece of leather and attached it so seemingly seamlessly that you couldn't even tell that a new piece had been attached to the old. He cut away the frayed edge and then asked me to try it on to make sure the fit was good. Then he went over to his industrial sewing machine and stitched it up properly. 

It's totally restored now! It feels so good to be back in the habit of putting both it and my red "Love Courageously" band on each day. I took a picture and sent it to your mom. 

Feeling very close to you just now! With all my love forever. Forever!