This is Fruitycake. There are gifts in life that are better than others. I think you have to admit that.

I know my name is Fruitycake. But Girl Person says that when she was a little girl person, she had an uncle that used to hand out fruitcakes. And she says that they were more like brick cakes.

It’s the thought that counts…right? I suppose. But I would rather think of a slice of pizza than think of a spinach sandwich. Just saying.

I did get an unexpected gift a few days ago. It’s been a little while since Brickle passed away from this earth place as we know it.

But whenever Girl Person needs inspiration to keep going, she will get a collar of his and smell it. She says she knows it’s weird. But it helps her. And when she got out his collar on a rainy day, she also saw his favorite stuffed animal. A tiger.

Brickle didn’t care for toys very much. He was too sophisticated for that. And everyone knows he wasn’t really a dog. He was more than that. He was Brickle.

And Brickle loved being acknowledged and he loved being admired even more. So when kid persons saw him and yelled “tiger”, he loved it. Loved it.

And when someone got him a tiger toy, he felt proud. And he nibbled it. But he didn’t bite it. It made him feel larger than life. He saved it. And I think he saved it to pass on to me.

It wasn’t a special day. It was a rainy day. But we felt him with us. And I needed that tiger. And I thank you, Brickle for that tiger.

A gift isn’t always something extravagant in price. But it can be a gesture. A kind word. Even a hug. Or encouragement.

Sometimes though, the absolute best gift, like Brickle’s tiger, is a reminder that someone we loved cared for us.

And that they mattered. And that we matter too because they cared for us. I miss you, Brickle. I’ll take care of your tiger. But I will bark at it.

–Fruitycake

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