CAITLYND

The sincere and innocent wisdom of a child never ceases to fill me with wonder.

Last year I had surgery to remove a tumor from my thyroid gland. I had staples across the front of my neck for a week afterward (a true Frankenstein look) and then a very angry looking red scar after the staples were removed. Since I couldn't tolerate a collar against the wound, I became very creative at wearing scarves. My granddaughter Caitlynd, 3 1/2 yrs old at the time, also started wearing scarves.

The two of us had a grand time picking out 'the perfect scarf' for our outfits and finding unique ways to tie them. As I opened my closet door to choose our scarves for Caitlynd's fourth birthday, my precious granddaughter put her hand on my forearm and said, "Let's not wear a scarf today."

Looking into her serious little face, I took a deep breath and closed the closet door. On the way out of the house, I took a quick look in the mirror and felt the tears rise in my eyes.

Her birthday party was a big affair and I knew people were going to stare at my now---bright pink scar---and whisper about it behind their hands.

To this day, I don't know if Caitlynd saw the well of tears I fought back or sensed my hesitant mood, but as we walked out the door she said, "Don't worry Grammy, I'll hold your hand."

And she did, all day long. I haven't worn a scarf since.