LOVE NEVER FAILS

    Once upon a time, (and we all know that many good stories begin with, “Once upon a time,” don’t we?) my family and I lived in the far northern part of the State of Maine in the city of Caribou.  Though the church family there was small, the love was large. 

    For fun, the ladies of the church had “secret sisters.” Those who chose to participate filled out forms that included personal information that answered what our favorites were.  The idea was to draw a name, slip a secret something of encouragement onto a designated entry table without being seen, and to keep our identity secret for three months.  At the end of that time, we’d have a gathering to celebrate and tell whether or not we had guessed who had been leaving the mysterious messages and personal packages.

    Over the period of time I took part, I am unsure whether anyone guessed my being her secret sister, but I do know I had a very sneaky little one who fooled me not just once, but twice!  The one who had me so completely baffled was a very sweet teenage girl named Heather Ledford!  Heather did everything anyone would do to keep me in the dark as to who she was, and to this day I smile, as each year at this time I bring out my very own Jack-O-Lantern pin, a gift from my sweet little teenage secret sister.

    Not only is the pin dear to my heart, but so too are the memories of those times with Heather and her family, made even more precious by her unexpected passing on January 9, 2012.

    Times and seasons pass, 

      but love never fails.

M Sue       October 26, 2012