Thinking about Christmas Day (Dec 26 @ 12:47 a.m.)

Well, it was quite a Christmas Day.  I didn’t know what to expect.  I expected the worse.  I got the best.  I did have some sad tears but mostly they were happy tears.  My phone started pinging away really early in the morning.  I am sure it was many of my East Coast friends who were wishing me a Merry Christmas.  Then everyone else started at a more normal time.  I cannot believe everyone who remembered me and my family today.  It was surprising to me wondrous (is that a word).  I had no idea that I would receive so many text messages, emails, Facebook messages and even Twitter messages.  They all had the same thought … Merry Christmas … thinking of you and your family … we miss Amanda… take care of yourself… we are here if you need us … and so much more!!  Truly .. this rekindles my spirit in the compassion of people.  I had most of Amanda’s close friends message me in some form (even one from Hawaii where she was vacationing). There were also other friends who have been contacting me.   As I said yesterday, Amanda’s friends have come around bearing treats and there are others who will be visiting after Christmas.

So I still ask myself the questions … Why all the attention still for Amanda?  Was she truly special?  Was her message that strong?  Was it God’s way?  News articles are still being written.  This coming week should be interesting when other news agencies start chronicling the Highlights of 2012, especially in the U.S.  If anyone sees anything, forward them as a comment here.

As I watched the You Tube video made by the artist Michael Bell, I was amazed at the enthusiasm and interest of all the students in that particular school (as Michael says in the video) who lined up wanting to add their hand print to the mural.  The mural is waiting for me at the offices of the Vancouver Sun.  I can’t wait to see it.  I want to see if I can send Amanda Todd/Stay Strong bracelets to the school or the class as a token of gratitude that they thought of my daughter Amanda enough to do this for her.  Once again, I am amazed and awed.

Also today on my Facebook, I posted the following status:

There is story behind these pictures I have posted. If you look at my status picture, Amanda and I were in White Rock in September 2012 on a hospital day pass outing.  We wandered White Rock, had her first lunch out in a restaurant in over two months which she was proud of and then we took our picture on the pier.  Actually, we took many pics because we couldn’t get it right.  We were going to ask people to do it for us but everyone we saw, we doubted that they could handle our iPhones.  It was kind of funny cuz there we were, a mom and a teenage daughter, standing on the pier, giggling like two little girls over the pictures we were taking.  Too windy, hair in the face.  Too much glare, the sun in the way.  Too sappy, we didn’t smile.  Or it was too much smile.  Or one of us wasn’t looking at the camera.  OMG … the list went on.  The parking meter was ticking away.  It was a perfect day.  After we got back to the hospital, her dad took her out shopping and they bought the blue SWAG hoodie that she is wearing in some of the other pictures.  So now I got sidetracked again ….

In White Rock, lives a lovely person (who I will initialize as PFTP – he will know who he is). PFTP lives in White Rock, heard about Amanda’s story, saw the photos of her and I, and recognized the background as his community.  I have been corresponding with PFTP for a while now (at least 9 weeks) and this is what he did for me for Christmas to make me happy.  He delivered presents to my door. Not once, but two times.  And even before one of the snowy days.  Wonder if he bumped into Santa. I fought the urge to open the presents earlier even though my snowflake friends kept trying to convince me too.

The first present (which I opened today) was a framed photo of the White Rock pier. On the bottom of the picture, is a plaque that says ‘Amanda and Carol – September 2012’. I cried happy tears when I saw it and will hang the picture as a reminder of the wonderful time I had with Amanda that day.  Thank you PFTP for giving me the gift of a memory.  And .. everytime he walks along the pier at the spot where Amanda and I were, he places a maple leaf as a reminder that we lost a precious Canadian girl to horrific circumstances.  And if you think about that and the penny story that I spoke of at the Celebration memorial, it seems fitting that the penny also has a maple leaf on it too.

As you can probably tell, I had a much better day today.  It was a quiet reflective day.  I spent it with Christopher and Rob.  Presents were opened.  I got everything I wanted – even a pizza cutter and mini tongs which I absolutely love.  Pandora charms were my fav.  And also a digital picture frame so I can load in some of the many family pics of my kids, their friends and those that I love.

Once again, to all my friends/family/Amanda’s friends who have sent me messages over the past few days with holiday wishes, I thank you.  You don’t know how much they make me feel better and less emotional.  To my new friends in Airdrie Alberta, I can’t wait to meet you one day.

Hugz and good nite (maybe

Mama Snowflake Bear xoxo

P.S.  I am on CBC Radio at 4 pm on Boxing Day for an interview I did a couple of weeks ago.  If you listen to it and I don’t, let me know how I did.  

P.P.S. If we created a cookbook for a fundraiser for Amanda, would you 1) contribute a recipe and 2) buy the cookbook???